<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-giants-justin-verlander-pulls-back-curtain-houston-departure');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants’ Justin Verlander pulls back curtain on Astros departure');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Giants-Justin-Verlander-pulls-back-curtain-on-Houston-departure.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants’ Justin Verlander pulls back curtain on Astros departure</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T09:00:56-07:00">April 1st, 9:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T09:00:56-07:00">April 1st, 9:00am</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Veteran starting pitcher <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-verlander-1-year-deal-san-francisco">Justin Verlander landed with the San Francisco Giants</a> on a one-year, $15 million deal this offseason, departing the Houston Astros, the team he was with since he was traded from the Detroit Tigers in 2017. Verlander <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/astros/article/justin-verlander-offseason-talks-giants-20250847.php" rel="noopener">opened up on the process of leaving</a> the Astros and his conversations with owner Jim Crane before signing with the Giants as he returned to Houston on Monday.</p><p>“I was talking with Jim a lot,” Justin Verlander said, via Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. “There was interest. It just kind of got to the point where the Giants really came after me hard and Jim was like, ‘We’re not even in a place to make an offer right now.’ So, I appreciated the candidness. That was kind of that for me.”</p><p>Ultimately, the Astros decided to move on. It is not too surprising, given that Verlander was left out of the playoff rotation in 2024. However, it appears that they did have some level of interest in bringing him back for 2025. The timing just did not work out.</p><p>The Astros made several big decisions this offseason, with the trade of Kyle Tucker sticking out as the main one, but the departure of Alex Bregman to the Boston Red Sox was notable as well. Verlander’s departure was not as significant as the other two, but he was a staple of the organization, helping it win two World Series titles during his time.</p><p>Now, Verlander is hoping to contribute to a Giants team that does have talent. He joins a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-how-logan-webb-helped-justin-verlander-prepare-for-spring-training-debut">pitching staff that does have potential</a>, and his home park should be more friendly to him. Although Verlander is not pitching in the Giants’ series against the Astros, it is still somewhat of a homecoming for him this week. The Giants look to take game two of the series after a 7-2 victory on Monday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants’ Justin Verlander pulls back curtain on Astros departure

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-verlander-honest-buster-posey-admission');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants’ Justin Verlander drops honest Buster Posey admission');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Justin-Verlander-drops-honest-Buster-Posey-admission.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants’ Justin Verlander drops honest Buster Posey admission</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-21T08:16:30-07:00">March 21st, 8:16am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-21T09:53:35-07:00">March 21st, 9:53am</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Francisco Giants are entering a new era in 2025.<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/grading-giants-182-million-willy-adames-contract"> New shortstop Willy Adames is the headliner</a> but changes to the rotation and upstairs have Cooperstown connections. President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey and the Giants brought in Justin Verlander on a one-year deal. The pitcher spoke highly of the <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44304329/mlb-2025-buster-posey-san-francisco-giants-president-hall-fame-catcher" rel="noopener">former catcher as his first season</a> in The Bay is about to begin.</p><p>“In his talks with Posey, Verlander found it refreshing to communicate with a decision-maker who valued qualities the analytics could not measure,” ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez wrote.</p><p>“I think it could very much be something that can lead to having a better organization,” Verlander told Gonzalez. “It’s like me pitching and probably him hitting and catching towards the end of his career — you were brought up in an age before analytics, and so you have this wealth of instinct. And this is why it’s hard to put words on it because you have all these instincts that you gained over time from playing the game, and then all of a sudden you’re inundated with numbers.”</p><p>The Giants brought in Verlander after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/blake-snell-bold-predictions-after-182-million-dodgers-contract">losing Blake Snell to the rival Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency</a>. With Posey running the ship, they need to find every advantage over the Dodgers. Many may think analytics is the way to do that but Posey apparently disagrees.</p><p>This is intriguing considering where Verlander came from. The Houston Astros revived his career in 2017 with analytics and new pitching coaches. He won two more Cy Youngs after joining Houston and went back after the Mets disaster in 2022.</p><p>But the Giants wooed him west this offseason with a non-analytical approach. Could that mean the end of his Hall-of-Fame career? Or will his numbers get even better in his 40s?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants’ Justin Verlander drops honest Buster Posey admission

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-why-giants-pablo-sandoval-wont-roast-justin-verlander-about-world-series-battles');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Pablo Sandoval won’t roast Giants’ Justin Verlander about World Series battles');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Why-Pablo-Sandoval-wont-roast-Justin-Verlander-about-World-Series-battles.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Pablo Sandoval won’t roast Giants’ Justin Verlander about World Series battles</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-16T10:43:48-07:00">March 16th, 10:43am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-16T10:43:48-07:00">March 16th, 10:43am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-justin-verlander-1-year-deal-san-francisco">San Francisco Giants signed Justin Verlander</a> to a one-year deal, he’s looking to reach into the fountain of youth once more and have another productive season under his belt. With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/nl-west-division-winner-2025-prediction-odds-pick">Giants looking to make a splash in the NL West</a> with Verlander, there will be a familiar face around in Pablo Sandoval as the two have history when it comes to the World Series.</p><p>Sandoval is back with the ballclub during Spring Training, but only as a guest instructor, as him and Verlander had great World Series moments together. Like in 2012, where Sandoval hit two of his three home runs in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series off of Verlander when he was with the Detroit Tigers, though the former Giant <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/pablo-sandoval-justin-verlander-meet-again" rel="noopener">won’t bring it up to the pitcher</a> according to MLB.com.</p><p>“I don’t bring it up,” Sandoval said while reportedly smiling. “I don’t bring it up. When you respect a player, when you respect a guy that is still playing and is throwing the ball the way he does, you don’t bring old memories to his head. It’s going to be there forever, but you don’t bring it up to a guy when you respect a guy.”</p><p>“I respect Justin,” Sandoval continued on how surreal it is to see Verlander in a San Francisco uniform. “He’s a great pitcher. He’s a great ballplayer. To spend time with him is a great thing. The way he’s [working] with the pitchers, spending time with the young guys, it’s special. It’s kind of weird. I came up to him and talked about it, but he’s a great guy.”</p><h2><b>Former Giants star Pablo Sandoval still playing baseball </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Pablo-Sandoval-on-March-15-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-players-reactions-pablo-sandovals-arrival-proves-his-legendary-status-sf">Giants legend in Sandoval</a> is still playing baseball, but not in the MLB which he was last seen in 2021 with the Atlanta Braves, but had two stints in San Francisco where he was a two-time All-Star and won three championships. He currently plays in Atlantic League Pro Baseball and is set to be with the Staten Island FerryHawks when their season starts in April per MLB.com.</p><p>“I’m going to play,” Sandoval said. “I continue to play until my body says no. I want to play in the Atlantic League again. There’s always new challenges in life. I’m learning a lot of things from this group and the coaching staff. It’s different. It’s way different, but God’s got a purpose for you in life to teach and put the right things to the players.”</p><p>Sandoval is stilllookings to make an impact on baseball at 38 years old as Verlander looks to do the same with the Giants at 42 as the team tries to improve after finishing 80-82 last season, putting them fourth in the division.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Pablo Sandoval won’t roast Giants’ Justin Verlander about World Series battles

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/giants-news-giants-veteran-justin-verlander-reveals-secret-long-term-success');   ga('set', 'title', 'Giants veteran Justin Verlander reveals secret to long-term success');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Justin-Verlander-reveals-secret-to-long-term-success.jpg"></figure><h1>Giants veteran Justin Verlander reveals secret to long-term success</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-12T23:29:01-07:00">March 12th, 11:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-12T23:29:01-07:00">March 12th, 11:29pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-giants-willy-adames-agree-historic-182-million-contract">San Francisco Giants made one of the more intriguing</a> offseason moves by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-justin-verlander-1-year-deal-san-francisco">signing Justin Verlander to a one-year, $15 million deal.</a> While Verlander’s Hall of Fame credentials are undeniable, his age and recent struggles have raised questions about what he can still contribute. At 42, Verlander is coming off a difficult 2024 season in which he posted a career-worst 5.48 ERA over 90.1 innings with the Houston Astros. However, early signs in Spring Training suggest he may still have something left in the tank.</p><p>Through his first three outings in Arizona, Verlander <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/giants/san-francisco-giants-news/san-francisco-giants-future-hall-of-famer-looks-like-vintage-self-during-spring" rel="noopener">has shown promise</a>, posting a 2.45 ERA over 11 innings with a 1.00 WHIP. Opposing batters have hit just .225 against him, a notable improvement from the .274 batting average they had against him last season. His fastball, once the foundation of his dominance, has remained effective, even touching 96 mph in a recent outing against the Athletics. For a pitcher nearing his mid-40s, that is a remarkable feat.</p><p>While Verlander’s early results are encouraging, there are still concerns about his long-term durability and effectiveness. Injuries plagued his 2024 campaign, leading to a diminished strikeout rate and inconsistent command. His Baseball Savant metrics, which once highlighted his elite ability to overpower hitters, showed significant declines last year. His strikeout rate dropped to 18.7%, well below his career norms, and his once-dominant swing-and-miss stuff was noticeably absent.</p><h2><b>Justin Verlander continues to produce at whatever age</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Justin-Verlander-reveals-secret-to-long-term-success-2.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Despite these concerns, the Giants see Verlander as more than just an innings-eater. His presence provides a valuable mentorship opportunity for San Francisco’s young rotation, similar to when the franchise brought in Randy Johnson in 2009. Verlander’s leadership could be instrumental in guiding pitchers like Kyle Harrison and Mason Black, offering them insights from a pitcher who has seen and done it all at the highest level.</p><p>Verlander himself has expressed confidence that he can still be an effective starter, pointing to the adjustments he has made in his offseason training regimen. “This is for sure the best I’ve felt in the last few years,” Verlander said. “I mean, ’22 was the last time I had a healthy ramp-up.” That 2022 season, of course, saw him win his third career Cy Young Award.</p><p>Projections for Verlander’s 2025 campaign remain mixed. Some models predict a low-4.00s ERA with around 120-140 innings pitched, which would be considered a solid contribution. However, if he can continue his strong spring form into the regular season, he might exceed those expectations.</p><p>Ultimately, the Giants’ signing of Verlander was a calculated risk. If he stays healthy and performs, he could be a stabilizing force in the rotation. If he struggles or suffers another injury, San Francisco has a wealth of young pitchers ready to step up. Either way, Verlander’s final chapter will be one of the most compelling storylines for the Giants in 2025.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Giants veteran Justin Verlander reveals secret to long-term success

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-francisco-giants/justin-verlander-adding-new-weapon-to-repertoire-for-giants');   ga('set', 'title', 'Justin Verlander adding new weapon to repertoire for Giants');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Justin-Verlander-adding-new-weapon-to-repertoire.jpg"></figure><h1>Justin Verlander adding new weapon to repertoire for Giants</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-01T20:06:05-08:00">March 1st, 8:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-01T20:06:05-08:00">March 1st, 8:06pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Even in his 20th MLB season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-how-logan-webb-helped-justin-verlander-prepare-for-spring-training-debut">Justin Verlander remains committed to evolving as a pitcher. The San Francisco Giants’</a> veteran right-hander is experimenting with a new sweeping curveball, hoping to refine his arsenal and stay ahead of hitters.</p><p>Verlander debuted the pitch during a three-inning simulated game against minor leaguers at Papago Park in Scottsdale, opting for the controlled environment over making the trip to Glendale, where the Giants were facing the Dodgers. The future Hall of Famer <a href="https://x.com/susanslusser/status/1895934285946945933" rel="noopener">worked closely with pitching coach</a> J.P. Martinez to modify his traditional curveball, giving it more horizontal movement.</p><p>“He just decided to try it this morning,” Martinez said with a smile. “We talked about a sweeper that he could throw with just a small change in grip, and he ripped it a few times today. I thought it was pretty good.”</p><p>Verlander decided to tweak his curveball after studying the Giants’ Hawkeye tracking system. This system helps pitchers optimize pitch movement with minor grip adjustments. Given that opponents hit .340 off his curveball last season—the highest mark of his career—the adaptation could help Verlander regain effectiveness with the pitch.</p><h2><b>Justin Verlander looks to produce for the Giants in 2025</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Justin-Verlander-1.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Verlander threw 42 pitches across three innings, striking out four and walking one. While the Giants’ minor leaguers struggled against him, shortstop Willy Adames provided the biggest challenge, launching a solo home run and adding an RBI double. Adames, who has faced Verlander multiple times in the majors, also gave the veteran valuable feedback during their encounters.</p><p>“Willy told him his slider looked like a heater, and Justin said, ‘Perfect,’” Martinez shared. “It was really cool to watch them interact.” <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/giants-news-justin-verlander-1-year-deal-san-francisco">The Giants signed Verlander this offseason after missing out on top-tier free agents.</a> At 42, he isn’t the dominant ace he once was, but he still brings elite pitching knowledge and an unmatched work ethic. Manager Bob Melvin praised Verlander’s relentless pursuit of improvement.</p><p>“He’s always trying to get better,” Melvin said. “I wouldn’t say it surprises me, but it surprises me that he’s willing to tinker with the success he’s had.” Martinez echoed that sentiment, noting how Verlander’s dedication serves as an example for the team’s younger pitchers.</p><p>“That’s the thing I’ve been most impressed with,” Martinez said. “He’s a surefire Hall of Famer, and he still wants to get better. He wants to work on his lower half, add a pitch, and pitch to different parts of the zone.”</p><p>Beyond his impact on the mound, Verlander’s mentorship could be invaluable for the Giants. Young arms like Kyle Harrison and Hayden Birdsong have the opportunity to learn from one of the best pitchers of his generation, an experience that could pay dividends for years to come. Verlander is currently lined up to pitch the Giants’ home opener against the Mariners on April 4, a moment he’s looking forward to.</p><p>“That’s a really big honor, especially for a new team,” Verlander said. “I try not to take these Opening Days for granted. They’re pretty special events.” Whether his new curveball sticks or not, Verlander’s willingness to innovate is yet another example of why he’s remained one of baseball’s elite pitchers for two decades.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
63	3.43	19	1.24	2

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
63	3.43	19	1.24	2

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Giants veteran Justin Verlander reveals secret to long-term success

Justin Verlander adding new weapon to repertoire for Giants

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