When the Houston Astros traded for Justin Verlander back in 2017, the deal went down with literally seconds to go before the trade deadline was to hit. The deal required a heavy sales pitch from fellow frontline starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel, and Verlander would be moving to Houston with Hurricane Harvey storming the Gulf Coast.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Houston Astros once again were the story of the trade deadline, by trading their top prospect, outfielder Drew Gilbert, and minor league OF Ryan Clifford, to the Mets for Verlander. This time, though, there was no sales pitch necessary. There were a few hours to spare. Good lord willing, there is no hurricane coming, that we know of.
Instead, the reunion we thought would never happen is happening a whole lot faster than anyone would have imagined. Justin Verlander is, once again, a Houston Astro, and just in the nick of time, as the team’s starting rotation has been faltering for the better part of two months now, causing a whole lot of stress on an overworked bullpen. Verlander, who never really wanted to leave Houston in the first place last winter, happily waived his no trade clause to trigger the deal Tuesday afternoon.
Verlander left the Astros this past offseason, when the Mets offered him a two-year, $87 million deal, with a third year for $35 million that vests if Verlander throws 140 innings in 2024. That third vesting year was a big reason why the Astros didn’t match the Mets’ deal, and was reportedly a big sticking point in negotiations in this trade.
On the season, Verlander sits at 6-5 with a 3.15 ERA, after starting the season with lat muscle injury. He has looked like vintage Verlander in his last seven starts, with a 4-1 record, and a 1.49 ERA. It is expected that Verlander will be the hammer at the top of a six-man rotation with familiar faces Framber Valdez and Cristian Javier. The Astros should get Jose Urquidy back imminently from the injured list, and rookies Hunter Brown and J.P. France should round out the rotation.
The Astros are currently in a dogfight in the American League West, sitting a half game back of the Texas Rangers, who themselves just traded for Verlander’s Mets teammate Max Scherzer to fortify their starting rotation. The two teams face off over Labor Day weekend in Arlington, in what should be a scintillating weekend of baseball, particularly if Scherzer and Verlander face off against one another.
The message from Astros owner Jim Crane is clear — the window to win championships is still open, and at any sign of the window closing, we will do whatever it takes to keep it fully ajar, including righting the wrong of Verlander ever leaving to begin with.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
