Justin Verlander’s trade market sprang to life after admitting that his stance on waiving his no-trade clause changed after the Mets dealt away David Robertson and Max Scherzer.
New York continued its selling ways on Monday when it traded Mark Canha to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitching prospect Justin Jarvis, which won’t ease any anxieties that Verlander may have about competing for a championship in 2024.
That’s the name of the game for the 40-year-old, which is why the Mets’ clear step back has prompted the understandable change in heart. Now teams around the league appear to be trying to get something done before Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline strikes at 6 p.m. ET in an attempt to provide an immeasurable boost to their rotation for the stretch run.
The Mets’ asking price is logically high for the future Hall-of-Famer. Not only has he been throwing his best stuff this season as of late, posting a 1.95 ERA in his last nine starts, but he’s signed through the 2024 season (due $43.3 million), which means this isn’t purely a rental.
The more money the Mets eat on Verlander’s remaining deal, the better the return will be — and it should already be good for a contending, pitching-needy team in the thick of a playoff hunt.
As it stands with less than eight hours to go until the deadline, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, and Houston Astros are believed to be the three teams leading the pack — though Jon Heyman of the New York Post added that “mystery team(s)” are getting involved.
Verlander could waive his no-trade clause for a quick reunion with the Astros after leaving them over the winter to sign his two-year, $86.6 million with the Mets. There wouldn’t be much concern about the transition considering the righty made himself plenty comfortable down in Texas, going 61-19 with a 2.26 ERA over five seasons with the Astros, including a 2022 AL Cy Young Award and a World Series title.
The issue with the Mets potentially matching up with the Astros for a trade is that their farm system is thin — and a top priority of owner Steve Cohen is to build the pipeline from the minors into a sustainable force.
Out in California, though, with Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler sidelined with injuries, the Dodgers need a top-line starter to separate themselves in the NL West. This was one of the teams that Verlander preferred to be traded to back in 2017 before accepting a last-second deal with the Astros.
Considering this is a franchise Cohen is trying to emulate, the Dodgers are flush with prospects that would interest the Mets. Out of their seven prospects ranked in MLB Pipeline‘s Top 100, three are pitchers and all are in Double-A or above.
The Orioles are a surprising contender here — and not just in the Verlander sweepstakes. The perennial basement dweller in the AL East has cashed in on developing young, top-tier talent that has been unleashed on the majors this season as they lead the loaded division.
Pitching help, though, is still a need and Verlander would signal to the Orioles that they are going all in for it this season. They have plenty of prospects to pique the Mets’ interest considering six of the eight ranked within MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 are still in the minors (Colton Cowser and Jordan Westburg are currently in the big leagues).
It is, however, a mystery if Verlander would waive his no-trade clause to join Baltimore — a city he grew up 160 miles away from.
