The Atlanta Braves are World Series champions and the 2021-22 offseason is officially underway. The hot stove has been pretty warm the last few days, though the collective bargaining agreement expires in less than two weeks and a lockout threatens to halt activity. Either way, the offseason is a long way from over.
Throughout the offseason the CBS Sports MLB scribes will bring you a weekly roundtable breaking down pretty much anything. The latest news, a historical question, thoughts about the future of baseball, all sorts of stuff. In our last roundtable we debated Carlos Correa vs. Corey Seager. This week we're going to tackle two future Hall of Fame pitchers, including one who re-signed with the Astros on Wednesday.
R.J. Anderson: I have to go with Justin Verlander, if only because of the unknown nature of Clayton Kershaw's arm health. We at least know Verlander threw for teams recently and is (seemingly) nearing the completion of his Tommy John surgery rehab. Kershaw's status isn't as clear. If both are healthy, you can't really go wrong either way.
Matt Snyder: Verlander. By no means is Tommy John surgery a failure-free procedure, but it's become pretty damn reliable these days. I trust that Verlander is going to be just about back to 2019 form when he takes the hill in 2022. He'll be in his age-39 season, so he doesn't have many good years left, but I'm counting on at least one All-Star-caliber season out of him. Kershaw has been dealing with back issues for several years and now had the forearm ailment in 2021. In order to avoid surgery, he had a platelet-rich plasma injection and those have failed enough times to be concerned. I'll take the guy fully recovered from surgery than the one with at least two lingering question marks regarding his health.
Dayn Perry: I'll say Verlander. I realize he's pushing 40 and coming off a long Tommy John rehab, but I can't get away from how well he's maintained stuff and velocity at an age when pretty much everyone else is out of the league. When last we saw him on a regular basis, he was a Cy Young winner, and I expect him to again be at least a highly useful starting pitcher in 2022.
Mike Axisa: I'm going with Verlander as well because he's nearing the end of his injury whereas it seems Kershaw is still early in this phase of elbow woes. Forearm trouble is a common precursor to Tommy John surgery -- long story short, the forearm muscles absorb stress when throwing a pitch, and if the forearm muscles are compromised, the stress goes to the ligament (and it snaps) -- and they usually don't just go away with a little rest. Verlander is not out of the woods as a soon-to-be 39-year-old coming back from Tommy John surgery, but by all accounts his rehab has gone well. Kershaw's forearm and elbow are still a bit of a mystery, and I don't like betting on pitchers with injuries that have not yet resolved.
