DETROIT, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- The Detroit Tigers have withdrawn their latest contract offer to pitcher Justin Verlander.
He was the team's first-round pick this year.
The hard-throwing, 6-5 right-hander from Old Dominion was the No. 2 overall selection in the first-year Player Draft. The team said Thursday that all talks with his adviser have been suspended.
"We spent a lot of time this summer trying to get a deal done," said Tigers scouting director Greg Smith on the team's Web site. "We also spent a lot of time trying to get Justin to instructional league. That did not happen. At that time, we had discussions that led us to the ultimate decision."
Smith said Verlander's adviser, Michael Milchin, was notified on Tuesday.
"We don't have any plans of signing Justin," Smith said.
Verlander went 7-6 for ODU for the third straight year last spring, and had a 3.49 ERA.
