QUEENS — Justin Verlander’s tune changed in less than a week, and understandably so.
Last Tuesday night, after he held the Yankees scoreless for six innings having allowed just two hits and striking out two, he implored that he was committed to not waiving his no-trade clause and being a member of the New York Mets despite the team being one of the largest letdowns we’ve ever seen.
“That’s why I signed here,” he said at the time. “I want to win here. It hasn’t gone according to plan just yet, but I didn’t sign a one-year deal. So there’s that.”
But then general manager Billy Eppler, with the greenlight from owner Steve Cohen, traded away veteran reliever David Robertson to the Miami Marlins for two prospects. They then pulled the trigger on the largest deal of the trade deadline period by sending Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers for their No. 3 prospect, Luisangel Acuna.
Eppler maintained that the Mets weren’t in a “firesale” or “liquidation” mode but rather shifting more focus on building up the farm system: “This is just a repurposing of [Cohen’s] investment in the club and kind of shifting that investment from the team into the organization.”
“When you see that happen, you can’t help but think what’s in store for next year,” Verlander said on Sunday after the Scherzer deal was made official. “We play this game to win and to win a championship… So it changed my opinion a little bit. It was tough to see.”
The future Hall-of-Famer and three-time Cy Young Award winner is 40 years old and has admittedly acknowledged the natural process of a ballplayer’s career mortality and what he’s done to hold back father time as best he could.
His efforts have been more than commendable, they’ve been downright awe-inspiring. Last season, at 39 years old, he won the AL Cy Young with the Houston Astros by going 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA and a 0.829 WHIP after missing all of 2021 due to Tommy John surgery.
After signing a two-year, $86.6 million pact to join the Mets in the winter, a shoulder injury derailed his spring, forcing him to miss the first month of the season. There was no hitting the ground running. His opening month in Queens between May and June was not only his version of spring training, but mounting pressure for him to churn out gem after gem mounted after the Mets’ concerning start.
That didn’t happen.
His ERA swelled to an alarming 4.85 — which alongside the struggling Scherzer, left the Mets with little to lean on in the starting rotation as the team descended into complete dysfunction. They were amidst a miserable 7-19 June that ultimately cemented their status as trade-deadline sellers when Verlander began to hit his stride and take on the role of undisputed ace.
Over his last nine starts, he has a 1.95 ERA with a 1.018 WHIP and 48 strikeouts in 55.1 innings of work. That included his 250th career win on Sunday against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field where he allowed just one run on five hits with five strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
As Verlander got the hook with one out in the sixth inning following a single by Keibert Ruiz, the Citi Field crowd — understanding the potential magnitude of the situation — gave Verlander a standing ovation as it very well could have been his final start as a member of the Mets.
“That was a nice ovation,” Verlander said. “I don’t know what’s to come. That I’ll always remember and appreciate.”
Standing at his locker admitting that his stance on being a Met shifted, Verlander stressed the desire for information from the front office on the team’s plans for 2024. At his age, dominant stretches aren’t guaranteed anymore and a pitcher of his caliber should have the opportunity to do that on a legitimate World Series contender — which the Mets are clearly not this year.
If Cohen and Eppler want to reorganize and make another World Series push in 2024 — and Eppler said that the Mets were “not punting 2024” — that he’ll be more inclined to stay. If not, his time in Queens could very well end before Tuesday’s trade deadline at 6 p.m. ET. And no one could really blame him for waiving his no-trade clause to make one last run at a title.
“I’m leaving it fate’s hands,” Verlander began. “We’ll see what happens. I have a no-trade clause so I have some ability to control my destiny. I’m the type of person that likes to gather information. I have no idea who’s interested, what’s going on, who [Eppler] has been speaking with… Just an open communication with the front office and see what their plans are for me, for the organization… It largely depends on how the organization views next year.
“I think Max is a tough sign if we’re trying to go back at it… I’m committed to trying to win a championship here but if the organization decides that’s not exactly the direction that they think is best fit to go for next year, then yeah, I would be more open to it.”
