Houston Astros Pulled Off One of Top Trades at Deadline
Getting it right at the MLB trade deadline can be tough. Just look at the Los Angeles Angels who made plenty of moves in an attempt to become contenders only for them to salary dump nearly all of them a month later.
But some teams get it right, like the Houston Astros.
At the trade deadline the Astros traded for ace Justin Verlander, the same player who left them in free agency just months before.
Regardless of the situation, MLB.com has ranked the trade for Verlander at the MLB trade deadline as the fourth-best trade made.
Here is what contributor Brian Murphy had to say about the trade the Astros pulled off.
"Verlander accomplished just about everything during his first stint with the Astros from 2017-22. Two Cy Young Awards. An ERA title. A World Series championship in 2017 (he was injured during the team’s 2021 title run). Verlander’s 2.26 ERA during his five-plus years in Houston was the second-best among all starters (min. 600 IP). And his homecoming is working out pretty well, too.
"The Astros dealt two of their top four prospects to reunite with Verlander, and he registered a 2.79 ERA through his first five outings, winning four of them before Friday's loss to the Yankees. And even at 40 years old, JV is always trying to find ways to improve. Thanks to a recent fix in his mechanics, tossed back-to-back scoreless outings going into Friday that featured 16 K’s over 11 innings."
The American League West is like. . . well, the Wild West right now. One game separates the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and the Astros for the divisional lead. And all three teams lost on Friday night.
Oddly enough, Max Scherzer took the mound for the Rangers in a 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Friday while Verlander was on the mound for the loss to the Yankees.
So, who really wants it?
Either way, Houston is in a far better position with Verlander back in the lineup than they were a month ago without him.
Shrewd trade, indeed.
