Justin Verlander, 40, will wear a Houston uniform again.
MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, announced the trade between Houston and the New York Mets on Tuesday. The Astros acquired Verlander and sent outfielder Drew Gilbert, the team’s No. 1 prospect in the outfield, and outfielder Ryan Clifford, the team’s No. 4 prospect.
Verlander, who signed a two-year, $86.66 million contract with the Mets prior to this season, formed a one-two punch with Max Scherzer. The Mets spent about $500 million to acquire Verlander, Senga Kodai, and other internal free agents.
Still, they were far from winning. The team struggled from the start of the season, finishing fourth in the National League East and unable to make the postseason via the wild card.
So the Mets turned to the sellers. They sent Scherzer to Texas and traded Verlander to Houston. This completely dismantled the Cy Young one-two punch.
Verlander is considered one of the best pitchers in baseball. In 498 career major league games, he has a 250-138 record with 3257⅓ innings pitched, 3279 strikeouts, and a 3.24 ERA. This season, he’s been just as solid with a 6-5 record in 16 games, 94 1/3 innings, 81 strikeouts, and a 1.14 WHIP.
Verlander, in particular, has a lot of good memories in Houston. After being traded from the Detroit Tigers in the middle of the 2017 season, he accomplished a lot during his five seasons with the club until last year. He led the team to World Series titles in 2017 and last season, his first year with the team, and won the American League Cy Young Award in 2019 and last year.
Now, less than a year later, he’s back in a Houston uniform.
According to MLB.com, “Verlander is due $58 million for the remainder of the season and next year, $35 million of which will be paid by the Mets. If his $35 million vesting option for 2025 is exercised, the Mets will pay $17.5 million of that as well.”카지노사이트
That means the Mets would have to pay Verlander $52.5 million over three years to send him to Houston.
Houston is currently in second place in the American League East with a 60-47 record. They are ‘half a game back of the division-leading Texas Rangers. They are also in second place for the wild card, so they have a good chance of making a run at the big dance for the second year in a row.
The addition of Verlander bolsters the starting rotation. The Astros now have a strong rotation of Verlander, Frazier Valdez, Christian Javier, Jose Arcudi, Hunter Braun, and J.P. Francoeur.