Could the Pittsburgh Pirates add this future Hall-of-Famer this MLB offseason?
The Pittsburgh Pirates finally struck on Friday, acquiring Brandon Lowe in a three-team trade involving the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros.
But there is still work to be done.
Because the Pirates jettisoned starting pitcher Mike Burrows in the deal (which also netted Pittsburgh outfielder Jake Mangum and relief pitcher Mason Montgomery), they will probably need to add another arm at the back end of their rotation.
Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic pitched some possibilities in that regard, and in the process, he linked the Pirates to a very surprising name: Justin Verlander.
Verlander spent the 2025 campaign with the San Francisco Giants and managed to be productive, logging a 3.85 ERA while allowing 155 hits and registering 137 strikeouts over 152 innings of work.
The 42-year-old's 1.362 WHIP was definitely concerning, but his FIP was actually exactly the same as his ERA, indicating that Verlander really wasn't getting that lucky.
But how much does the future Hall-of-Famer have left in the tank at this stage? And would he really want to spend what could be the final year of his big-league career in Pittsburgh?
Justin Verlander. Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images.Maybe if the Bucs sidled up and offered him a lucrative one-year contract, Verlander would consider it, and having the right-hander in the locker room to mentor Paul Skenes would be more than ideal.
But it does seem somewhat hard to believe that Verlander would actually choose the Pirates unless there was absolutely no market for him.
Based on the fact that he proved to still be effective this past season, Pittsburgh almost certainly would not be the only team interested in the three-time Cy Young award winner.
The Pirates definitely appear to be trying to contend heading into 2026, which is why they took a swing at Kyle Schwarber and acquired a 31-year-old Lowe to bolster the lineup.
Taking that into consideration, Pittsburgh probably will try to pursue a veteran arm to round out its rotation, but could Verlander seriously be the answer?
It's one of those cases of everyone believing it when they actually see it.
Until then, let's just enjoy the fact that the Pirates are actually making an effort this winter and have been even more active than some big-market teams.