Source: Verlander back to HOU on 1-yr. deal

Two-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander will return to the Astros on a one-year, $25 million deal for 2022 with a player option for '23, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand on Wednesday. The team has not confirmed the news.

Verlander declined Houston's one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer earlier on Wednesday.

Verlander, who will be 39 by Opening Day, has pitched just once over the past two seasons. After his Opening Day start in 2020, he sustained a right forearm strain and initially tried to rehab the injury. That didn’t work, and he underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of that season, keeping him out through ‘21 as well.

But Verlander is expected to be healthy to begin the 2022 campaign, and his presence should be a big boost for the defending AL pennant winners. Since arriving in Houston via trade in August 2017, Verlander has gone 43-15 with a 2.45 ERA over 74 starts. He was an All-Star in both 2018 and ‘19, finishing as the AL Cy Young Award runner-up in the former and winning it in the latter.

That was Verlander's second Cy Young Award; he also captured one while with Detroit in 2011, when he was the AL MVP as well. The eight-time All-Star also owns an AL Rookie of the Year Award (2006) and was MVP of the 2017 ALCS before helping the Astros lock down a championship.

Over 16 MLB seasons, Verlander has 226 wins, a 3.33 ERA and 3,013 strikeouts. He ranks 19th all-time in K’s and second among active pitchers -- seven behind former Tigers teammate Max Scherzer.