The Houston Astros have decided to go for it and traded for an old friend: pitcher Justin Verlander.
They are just half a game behind the Texas Rangers for the AL West lead and currently in possession of one of the Wild Card spots in the American League, but competition is fierce in the junior circuit and they need all the pitching they can get.
In Verlander, Houston gets a proven ace that had a 2.26 ERA between 2017 and 2022, with two Cy Youngs.
He might be 40, but is pitching like an ace anyway with a 3.15 ERA in 94.2 innings.
Fans have given their verdict on the trade.
As it happens with everything in life, it depends on the angle in which we look at things.
Mets fans are divided.
Some of them liked the trade.
Mets getting Astros top prospect Drew Gilbert and No. 4 prospect Ryan Clifford. Both left-handed outfielders. Reading about Gilbert it reminded me of Kelenic. Good haul. I'm sure Cohen paid a big chunk of Verlander's deal, including the vesting part. https://t.co/LswtoQ4Mkd
— Aaron Yorke (@AaronPYorke) August 1, 2023
Others didn’t:
https://twitter.com/rflax/status/1686460668180844544
The Mets are having a fire sale. First, Max…now Verlander.
Might as well trade Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, too!
— 12kyle (@12kyle) August 1, 2023
The Mets traded away Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer in a seller’s market AND ate most of their contracts…
They only received two top-100 prospects, neither of whom are in MLB’s top-40…
And yet people are saying these trades are good for New York?
— The Diamond (@TheDiamondOnYT) August 1, 2023
On the other hand, most Astros fans are happy to welcome back a man who made history with them, winning two World Series in a span of six years.
Gilbert is PROJECTED to be good
Verlander as an Astros is a top 5 pitcher of all time
— Astros 2024 Champs (@AstrosOptimism2) August 1, 2023
Giving up Gilbert and Clifford hurt no doubt. Bringing back Verlander helps so much. Crane hired Dana Brown to draft more top prospects. If Dana is as good as he claims then replenishing the system will happen. This is a win now team.
— Jeremy Kaufman (@JeremyIKaufman) August 1, 2023
All things considered, both teams got what they wanted: the Mets had little chance to contend at this point and wanted to turn Verlander into useful prospects for the future.
They did just that.
And, since the Mets are expected to try again in 2024, they can use some of their improved farm system in offseason trades.
The Astros, on the other hand, are trying to win another Fall Classic.
Who better to aid that cause than Verlander?
This could be seen in time as a win-win deal.
NEXT: The Astros Are Starting To Reach Their 2023 Expectations
