Justin Verlander is officially set to join a stacked MLB free-agent class this offseason.
The veteran pitcher declined the $25 million option for the 2023 season on his contract Thursday, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
Morosi noted that it was an expected result since it will allow Verlander to perhaps pursue a longer and more lucrative contract on the open market.
Verlander agreed to a one-year, $25 million deal with this player option for 2023 in November 2021, although there was something of a workload contingency for the option to go into effect.