Predicting Justin Verlander's salary for the 2023 season | MLB Contracts

Justin Verlander has proved yet again that he is, without a doubt, a generational talent. Now, the 2022 Cy Young finalist will likely find some lucrative contract offers coming his way.

Heading into the 2022 MLB season at 39 years of age, Verlander was expected to retire when the season ended and accordingly penned a one-year deal worth $25 million with the Houston Astros. He has been with the team since coming over from the Detroit Tigers in 2017.

Verlander will be 40 on Opening Day 2023. This means that teams will be wary about signing him to a deal longer than one or two seasons. Although salaries could bounce around depending on the needs of the prospective team, we will likely see him receive a contract somewhere in the $25-30 million range.

Even though he is a Cy Young finalist and could win the award for the third time in his career, he decided to walk away from any qualifying offers from the Astros, becoming a free agent. The Astros hoped to convince him with another one-year, $25 million deal, but Justin Verlander was intent on leaving.

"Justin Verlander has officially opted out of his contract with the Astros & is now a free agent." - @ FOX Sports: MLB

As good as Verlander's record has been, nobody could have ever predicted the eye-popping stats that he put up in 2022. He went 18-4, giving him a league-best winning percentage of .818, while also having the best starting ERA in the AL with a figure of just 1.75.

"World Champion Justin Verlander." - @ Houston Astros

To top off his historic success, Verlander was able to capture his first World Series win on the mound in his four Fall Classic appearance, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies.

Justin Verlander's next team will likely be his last

Verlander is not getting any younger. He and his wife, model Kate Upton, have two small children at home. Although the player could pitch into his mid-40s, it is hard to imagine that he has the appetite for it.

It remains a mystery where he will go. While he has already played down the prospect of joining the Yankees, some expect the cash-strapped Mets to join the conversation. Either way, the team that lands him will be getting a player still at the top of his game.