MLB News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Newsletter

Astros pull off blockbuster, reunite with two-time WS champ

Justin Verlander Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Astros pull off blockbuster, reunite with two-time World Series champ

By Gerrit Ritt | Last updated 8/1/23

Justin Verlander is blasting off from the fire sale in New York and set to land back in Houston after the Astros re-acquired the two-time World Series champion from the Mets, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

In what was the biggest piece of the trade market yet to drop, Verlander had been at the center of trade rumors for weeks, but he continued to claim he didn't want to leave the Mets.

"I am committed to trying to win a championship here," Verlander said just this past weekend.

In fact, he had to waive the no-trade clause in his contract for the Astros to acquire him — the same two-year, $86.66 million contract he just signed prior to this season to go to New York.

In return for Verlander, the Mets are set to receive two minor leaguers from Houston, including the franchise's top prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, outfielder Drew Gilbert.

Gilbert was the 22nd overall pick by the Astros out of the University of Tennessee just last year and was playing for the team's Double-A team in Corpus Cristi, Texas.

The Mets are reportedly acquiring the Astros' top-ranked prospect, Drew Gilbert in the Justin Verlander trade.

Gilbert was the Astros' first-round pick last year and represented Houston at this year's Futures Game. pic.twitter.com/WB3eF8HDAy
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) August 1, 2023

The other player going to the Mets is fellow outfielder Ryan Clifford, the team's fourth-overall prospect, currently in Single-A.

The Verlander move gives the Astros immediate assistance to a pitching staff that's been without three starters due to injury the majority of this season.

Lance McCullers and Luis Garcia will both miss the rest of the season, while Jose Urquidy is finally set to return after sitting out the last three months.

Houston has been relying heavily on rookies Hunter Brown and J.P. France to fill innings, but if the Astros make the playoffs, they'll now go into the postseason with three starters steeped in World Series experience: Verlander, Christian Javier and Framber Valdez.

For the Mets, they continue to offload contracts from a roster that had the highest payroll of any team in baseball going into 2023.

Over the weekend, the Mets dealt pitcher Max Scherzer to the Rangers. Last week, New York traded reliever David Robertson to the Marlins and first baseman Mark Canha to Milwaukee.

Barring any other trades in the deadline's last hours, they'll have plenty of money to spend on a talent-rich free agent pool this offseason. They'll need several big scores to keep up in a NL East Division that is one of the most competitive in the league.

Verlander played for the Astros from 2017-20 and against last season, winning World Series in 2017 and 2022. The nine-time All Star, three-time Cy Young winner and 2011 American League MVP was 6-5 with a 3.15 ERA through 16 games with New York.

He got his 250th career win on Sunday at home in front of the Mets fans, who gave him a standing ovation after he left the game.

Justin Verlander thanks the fans for the standing ovation they gave him today:

"The fans tonight were pretty incredible. I would be pretty remiss if I didn't say thank you to them. That was a nice ovation. I don't know what's to come, but that I'll always remember" pic.twitter.com/02Vo2cyf9M
— SNY (@SNYtv) July 30, 2023