Cubs Rumors: Is this aging former Cy Young winner a potential Cubs free agent target?

On the market for one-year deals after disappointing 2024 performances, a pair of future Hall of Famers are looking for new homes in Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. The rumor mill surrounding both has been relatively quiet so far this offseason, but at least for the latter, things appear to be heating up.

According to national MLB insider Jon Morosi, "multiple teams" are interested in the right-hander, who will turn 42 next month. A late start to the season, paired with a neck injury that shelved him for more than two months mid-year, led to one of the worst statistical seasons of his 19-year career, his seventh in a Houston Astros uniform.

Morosi didn't specify which clubs are among those checking in on Verlander, but it's worth going through the thought exercise with the Chicago Cubs. Jed Hoyer opened the offseason by bringing in left-hander Matthew Boyd, but he doesn't exactly solidify the rotation mix. At this point, Verlander doesn't either, but with both of them in the fold, at at least adds another layer of insurance and depth behind the likes of Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon.

Cubs could likely get Justin Verlander on a one-year guarantee

MLBTR projected Verlander for a one-year $12 million deal - a palatable sum, especially given the potential upside for a team that needs to win in 2025 like the Cubs. There's no long-term risk there and, should he turn back the clock one more time, it could be a game-changer come October, when Craig Counsell could go Steele-Verlander-Imanaga to open a series.

The nine-time All-Star is just one year removed from a solid 3.5bWAR campaign split between the Mets and Astros - and two removed from yet another dominant Cy Young season, in which he made 28 starts and dazzled with a 1.75 ERA across 175 innings of work. He explains his ineffectiveness after returning from the IL late last year by saying he may have rushed back in hopes of helping the team - but all reports indicate he's at 100 percent and ready to go for spring training.

The best-case scenario because of his low cost, age and long-term team control remains pulling off the Hail Mary and landing Sasaki. But if that falls through, as reports indicate is a good possibility, 'settling' for a one-year deal with a guy bound for Cooperstown hardly feels like a disastrous consolation prize.