Verlander and Valdez will get final payments of $31 million deferred money from Tigers in 2039

Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez will receive the final payments from their new contracts with the Detroit Tigers in 2039, with the team deferring $31 million of the $128 million it committed to the pitchers.

Verlander's $13 million, one-year deal will pay the 43-year-old right-hander $2 million this year. The $11 million in deferred money due the three-time Cy Young Award winner will be paid in $1.1 million installments each June 30 from 2030-39, according to contract terms obtained by The Associated Press.

Valdez's $115 million, three-year agreement includes a $20 million signing bonus paid in $2 million installments each June 15 from 2030-39.

He gets salaries of $17.5 million this year and $37.5 million in 2027. The deal includes a $35 million player option for 2028 and a $40 million mutual option for 2029 with a $5 million buyout.

Valdez's salary each year from 2027-29 can increase based on awards in the immediate preceding season as long as he doesn't finish the prior season on the injured list. A salary would go up by $2 million if he wins a Cy Young Award, $1 million if he finishes second and $500,000 if he comes in third. It also could escalate by $2 million for winning World Series MVP and $1 million for winning ALCS MVP.

A 32-year-old left-hander, Valdez is a two-time All-Star and 2022 World Series champion.

Detroit's deferred obligations are a small fraction of the commitments made by the two-time champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who owe $1,094,500,000 in deferred payments to 10 players from 2028-47.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Detroit Tigers pitcher Framber Valdez throws during workouts at spring training baseball, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Lakeland. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander moves to the dugout during workouts at spring training baseball, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Lakeland. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Detroit Tigers pitcher Framber Valdez throws during workouts at spring training baseball, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Lakeland. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander works during workouts at spring training baseball, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Lakeland. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Jack Hughes’ overtime goal, which gave the United States its first Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980, drew an average audience of 26 million viewers on NBC and Peacock in the U.S., according to Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel ratings and Adobe Analytics digital data.

Team USA’s 2-1 overtime victory over Canada on Sunday averaged 18.6 million live viewers (8:15-11 a.m. EST) on NBC and Peacock. The total rose to 20.7 million with encores on USA Network on Sunday afternoon and NBC late Sunday night.

According to Nielsen, it is the most-watched sporting event on record in U.S. history with a start time before 9 a.m. Eastern time.

It is NBC’s second-most-watched hockey game. Canada’s OT win over the U.S. in the gold medal game at the 2010 Vancouver Games averaged 27.6 million. That game had a 3:15 p.m. EST puck drop.

The North American audience when Hughes scored the golden goal was nearly 35 million. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation said on Monday that 8.7 million were watching in Canada during overtime.

The Milan-Cortina Olympics averaged 23.5 million viewers in the United States, making them the most-watched Winter Games since 2014 and drawing a 96% larger audience than the 2022 Beijing Games.

NBCUniversal said the average includes combined audiences on NBC, Peacock, CNBC, USA Network and other digital platforms. It covered the live afternoon (2-5 p.m. EST) and prime-time (8-11 p.m. EST/PST) windows.

The gold medal game in women's hockey on Feb. 19 — when Team USA beat Canada 2-1 in overtime — averaged 5.3 million on USA Network and Peacock. The audience peaked at 7.7 million during Megan Keller’s golden goal.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

United States' Jack Hughes (86) celebrates with teammates after scoring the winning goal to beat Canada in overtime in the men's gold medal hockey game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

United States' Jack Hughes celebrates after scoring the winning goal against Canada during the overtime period of the men's ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)