As Justin Verlander Eyes His Future With the Astros, We Look Back on His Impressive Real Estate Resume

Headed back to Houston for a second go-round with the Astros, star pitcher Justin Verlander didn’t stay long in the Big Apple.

After signing a two-year, $86 million contract with the New York Mets last December, the future Hall of Famer made only 16 appearances with the team.

A season that began with World Series dreams for the Mets wound up with both of their star pitchers dealt to different destinations. A day after trading Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers, the team sent Verlander to the Rangers’ in-state rivals.

After he inked his Mets deal, Verlander and wife Kate Upton splurged on a penthouse on New York City’s Upper East Side. It joined the ranks of high-end real estate in the A-list couple’s prodigious portfolio.

We don’t know if the couple still lease the Houston mansion they stayed in during Verlander’s first stint with the Astros, from 2017 to 2022. But we do know the mansion hasn’t gone up for sale since the couple left.

Perhaps they’ll have an easy transition back into life in Texas—or maybe they’ll have to look for something new in H-Town. Either way, they’ll live in luxury. Let’s have a look at where they’ve been.

Renting in Houston

When Verlander previously pitched for the Astros, the couple rested easy in a custom-built home in Houston, that they appeared to be leasing.

Located in a private gated community, the 8,000-square-foot mansion in the Hunter’s Creek Village neighborhood offers five bedrooms, a grand entry, a large family room, game room, and media room, as well as formal living and dining rooms.

The home was built in 2015, and the layout offers plenty of space to entertain or hang out. Along with an upscale kitchen, the family room opens out to a covered patio, kitchen, and yard on a little over a half-acre. The spacious primary suite includes a sitting area with views.

Currently off-market, the residence last came up for sale in 2017, at a price of $4.15 million.

NYC penthouse

Although Verlander’s tenure in New York City was short, his digs were very sweet. He signed his deal with the Mets in late 2022 and the couple immediately began to look for a place to stay in the city.

In January, they set their sights on a four-bedroom penthouse at the Beckford Tower on the Upper East Side. The unit originally came to the market in September 2021 with a list price of $20 million. A couple of subsequent price cuts brought the price down to $16.75 million in November 2022. Verlander and Upton managed to negotiate a bit of a discount, picking up the place for $15.3 million in a deal that closed on February 28.

Complete with a private elevator, views of Central Park, and 13-foot ceilings, the unit was designed for an A-lister. The couple’s NYC sojourn will likely prove fruitful if they ever decide to part with their place with three—yes, three—private terraces.

Fantastic in Florida

The couple can currently be found in South Florida—site of the Astros’ spring training facilities, where they’ve rented a knockout contemporary in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

Built in 2017 on a “spectacular lot” in the private country club community of Frenchman’s Reserve, the residence features a Caribbean Modern design with 5,000 square feet of interior space, four bedrooms, and 5.5 bathrooms.

On the first floor, there’s an owner’s suite that features dual bathrooms and French doors that open outside. The main level also includes a formal dining room, formal living room, fireplace, and a club room with wet bar. The open kitchen features top-of-the-line appliances, a walk-in pantry, and a breakfast nook. The adjacent family room opens to a covered lanai.

Upstairs, there are an additional three bedrooms and three more bathrooms.

And outside, the third-acre lot includes the covered lanai with a summer kitchen, gas grill, and a fridge, perfect for al fresco dining. The resort-style space also features a pool and spa.

The location next to the Frenchman’s Forest Nature Preserve offers additional privacy. A four-car garage completes the property.

The couple appear to have settled in, often posting photos from the rental, such as Upton’s poolside exercise routine.

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And an at-home birthday celebration for Verlander showed the living room festooned with balloons and flowers. “Happy birthday to the man of my dreams @justinverlander!” Upton posted. “I love you.”

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The brand-new construction initially went up for sale in 2017 for $3 million, but hadn’t attracted a buyer by the time it came off the market in 2019 as a rental. No word on exactly how much the couple are paying to call this place their short-term home.

The couple had previously leased another home nearby that’s currently listed for $3.5 million. That five-bedroom spread bills itself as a “modern, state-of-the-art dream home.”

Built in 2018, the 5,177-square-foot home offers an open floor plan, ground-level primary suite, and a half-acre, with a pool and built-in barbecue.

Setting a course for Jupiter

The glam couple lease in Florida—for now. Long-term plans include a custom-built home on a 2.19-acre lot in Jupiter, FL, which they purchased in 2020.

Snapped up for $3.45 million in October 2020, the waterfront locale is an area filled with big ballers. The town is home to the golf legend Tiger Woods, the chanteuse Céline Dion, and golf legend Greg Norman, who let go of his $60 million Jupiter Island compound.

The property the couple purchased was marketed as a place to build “your custom dream home” and had been on the market for a few years, with a price tag as high as $4.75 million.

The long, slim lot offers 150 feet of water frontage, with a dock on the Loxahatchee River.

During Verlander’s days with the Detroit Tigers, he owned a much more modest home in Lakeland, FL, close to the Tigers’ spring training facilities.

The big right-hander reportedly purchased that place in 2011 for $290,000, and began trying to sell it in 2015 for $449,900. He continued to drop the price until it finally sold in 2019 for $305,000, allowing him to basically break even.

Beverly Hills

The couple also expanded their land holdings to the West Coast. In 2016, they picked up a swanky, Beverly Hills, CA, property for $5.25 million.

With five bedrooms and six bathrooms, the completely redone, 5,521-square-foot space would be a perfect spot if business ever calls the couple to SoCal.

It was marketed as a “magical East Coast estate,” and the traditional interiors of the restored and remodeled home include beamed ceilings, a large stone fireplace, and hardwood floors.

The formal dining room features French doors, and the gourmet kitchen includes a white marble island and breakfast area that opens to a family room with a bar. Along with a large guest suite on the main floor, the first level also includes a massive office or game room.

Upstairs, a primary suite includes a pitched ceiling, fireplace, and dual bathrooms. The floor also includes two more bedroom suites. Outside, the grounds offer a pool and spa, as well as a tennis court.

The legacy estate comes with quite a celebrity pedigree. The home once belonged to the musician Kenny G, who sold the house to Pete Sampras, the tennis pro, in 1998. The sunken sport court was added by Sampras.

In October 2022, Verlander and Upton upped the home’s celebrity quotient even further. They left California behind and sold the home to actor Timothee Chalamet for $11 million.

Verlander, 38, is a native of Richmond, VA, who starred in college at Old Dominion University. After being drafted by the Tigers in 2004, he made his big league debut with the team in 2005, and went on to become the undisputed ace of the staff.

In 2017, the Tigers traded Verlander to the Astros, where he helped the team win a World Series. A future Hall of Famer, he’s an eight-time All-Star, and two-time American League Cy Young Award winner.

He’s tossed three no-hitters and has over 3,000 strikeouts to go with his 250-plus wins. He’ll become a free agent at the end of the 2024 season.

Upton is best known for her splashy Sports Illustrated swimsuit appearances—she was the cover model for the 2012, 2013, and 2017 issues. She’s also been the face of Guess jeans and covered Vanity Fair for its 100th-anniversary edition.

As an actress, Upton starred in “The Other Woman” and “The Layover.”  She reportedly began dating the athlete in 2014, and the two held their wedding in Tuscany, the weekend after the Astros championship in 2017. Their daughter was born in 2018.

Randy White contributed to this report.

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