Justin Verlander will turn 42 before the start of next season. He also eyes the "big shiny number" of 300 career wins. As the Houston Astros' hurler takes the mound Monday with 260 wins on his ledger, is the future Hall of Famer's goal even plausible? Perhaps there's reason to believe in Verlander's longevity plans.
Let's address the skepticism first: Verlander's recent pace isn't exactly indicative of a player ready to rack up 40 more wins, with 2024 in particular standing as a lost season from a statistical standpoint. Verlander enters Monday with just 11 starts and three wins to date in 2024 thanks to an extended neck-injury-induced absence, and he'll likely take the mound no more than a half dozen times before the postseason.