Justin Verlander, Miggy Tigers reunion prompts ‘unbelievable’ reaction

The Detroit Tigers pulled off a widely-acclaimed move this past offseason when they brought back franchise legend Justin Verlander, who last pitched for the franchise back in 2017, in free agency — signing him to a one-year, $13 million pact. Verlander is beloved in the Motor City, and for good reason; he tallied a total of 53.9 fWAR across his 13 or so years with the team.

Just to amplify the nostalgia factor even further, the Tigers brought in another former pillar of the franchise in Miguel Cabrera just in time for Spring Training. Cabrera was present during camp to help out rookies Eduardo Valencia and Josue Briceño with their first base defense, as per Evan Woodbery of MLive, but he also gushed over what he saw in camp, especially after seeing his old pal Verlander return to where it all began.

“It’s unbelievable. You’ve got to appreciate him. He works hard. To see him in Detroit again is awesome, especially with this team right now. We’ve got a lot of talent. We’ve got (Tarik) Skubal. My gosh, that’s special,” Cabrera said.

Cabrera will be working with the Tigers’ rookies before joining Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic as their hitting coach.

Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera couldn’t get Tigers over the hump

It was certainly a shame that the Tigers couldn’t win a World Series title back when Verlander and Cabrera were at their peak. Verlander was an MVP and a Cy Young awardee with the Tigers, and Cabrera was a Triple Crown holder in 2012, but they just couldn’t get over the hump.

The Tigers had so much rotation depth, and they loaded the lineup with heavy hitters, such as Cabrera, Victor Martinez, JD Martinez, and Prince Fielder. But their fielding and bullpen were suspect, and they simply could not get it done. Perhaps Verlander’s swan song with the Tigers results in a different ending.

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