Justin Verlander posts goodbye to Tigers after trade (Video)
Justin Verlander has been a big piece of Tigers history for over a decade, so it’s only right that he’d post a long thank you to the team after being traded.
After 13 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Justin Verlander was traded just a minute before the final deadline for moves on Thursday to the Houston Astros for a possible run at the postseason.
While he’s likely happy to be moving to the best team in the American League from the fourth-place team in the AL Central, the move is obviously bittersweet for Verlander, especially after how much time he spent in Detroit on the mound for over a decade.
With that weighing on his mind, Verlander took to Instagram to post a heartfelt goodbye to his former home, and a touching message to his new home in Houston, which is currently being affected by Hurricane Harvey.
“Thank you to Detroit for an incredible 13-seasons, a city that will always be important to me,” Verlander said. “But now I couldn’t be more excited to join the Astros and am looking forward to getting started right away.”
Although he was brief in his goodbye to the Tigers, it obviously came with good reason as the new Astros ace expressed his desire and commitment to use his foundation, “Wins for Warriors”, to help out in Houston for those impacted by the hurricane.
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“I am committed to making an impact off the field, especially during such difficult times,” Verland said. “My Foundation, Wins for Warriors, will continue to do the great work we have started in Detroit, but will also expand to Houston effective immediately and get involved with aiding the #HurricaneHarvey disaster relief efforts.”
Verlander will add a ton of talent to an already deep Astros roster, and will surely be a big piece of a potentially long postseason run in Houston, but it’s good to see that he’s focused on his importance away from the mound almost immediately after the deal.