Although the odds always remained against him reaching 300 wins, there was at least a reasonable expectation that Justin Verlander and his 262 career victories could at least approach 275 — and the San Francisco Giants signed him hoping that such a season would lead them back to the playoffs.
The good news is that the 52-46 Giants are only 1.5 games out of the NL’s third and final Wild Card spot. However, they’re doing so in spite of Verlander, who dropped to 0-8 after allowing nine hits and four runs in 2.2 innings against the Blue Jays on Friday night.
Yes, you read that correctly: the 42-year-old Verlander is 0-8 with a 4.99 ERA and -0.8 bWAR in 79 1/3 innings. The future Hall of Famer hasn’t added a single victory to his resum, and there’s not much reason to believe he’ll even reach 265 before the season ends.
The three-time Cy Young winner easily ranks among the league’s most disappointing pitchers, both in terms of statistics and the overall painful sight of him on the mound. San Francisco has lost 12 of Verlander’s 16 starts, though the nine-time All-Star wants to stay somewhat optimistic.
“They found a way to put a lot of balls in play,” Verlander said after Friday’s 4-0 loss. “Found a lot of holes, and the ones they did hit hard found corners, it’s a tough one."
What will the Giants do with Justin Verlander?
Realistically, the Giants will likely try sticking it out with Verlander as long as possible. Manager Bob Melvin isn’t the type to bench a future Hall of Famer if he can avoid it, even if Verlander is only on a one-year, $15 million deal.
In fact, Melvin shifted the blame to his offense. San Francisco has scored two or fewer runs in nine of Verlander’s 16 starts.
“The overall numbers aren’t horrible at this point,” Melvin insisted. “It’s just we don’t give him much run support, and it seems like there are a few games like tonight where we’ve gotten behind early.”
No one is disputing the Giants’ offensive struggles. However, Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, and the rest of San Francisco’s lineup can only do so much for a pitcher averaging 3.2 walks per nine innings, his highest since 2008.
Could the Giants trade Verlander before the July 31 deadline? Well, they could, but it’s unlikely that any team would pony up and add him as a rental. Verlander owns a 5.25 ERA in 169.2 innings since the start of 2024, and his struggles go far beyond a lack of run support.
Melvin and the Giants must know that the answer is moving Verlander to the bullpen. Whether or not he’ll do it remains to be seen, though we’re understandably skeptical.