Two Potential Trade Landing Spots for Houston Astros Ace
Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander is set to start again on Sunday. It will be his fifth start of the season after beginning the year on the injured list due to a shoulder issue.
The 41-year-old hasn’t been as sharp as fans are used to. He is 1-1 with a 4.43 ERA in four starts, with 15 strikeouts and 10 walks in 22.1 innings.
But, with two World Series titles, three Cy Youngs and nine All-Star Game appearances to his credit, Verlander knows how to work through the inevitable valleys that come with recovering from an injury.
Verlander is signed through this season and has a vesting option for 2025, depending upon whether Verlander pitches 140 innings this season.
But there are some things beyond his control, including where the Astros stand in the American League.
The Astros are 13-24 entering this weekend’s series at Detroit. Only the Chicago White Sox have fewer wins in the AL. Houston is looking up at everyone in the AL West and are eight games back of the front-running Texas Rangers.
It’s not over, but there is a chance the Astros could play their way out of a playoff berth for the first time since 2016. If they do so by the trade deadline, the Astros will have some tough decisions to make.
Verlander might be their most valuable trade chip that won’t hurt their long-term ability to put a contender on the field beyond this season.
So, who would be interested? Well, Verlander has a full no-trade clause. So any team could be interested, but there may only be a few teams he would be interested in.
Who might those teams be?
New York Post insider Jon Heyman wrote a piece with a list of top stars that could, at some point, be traded this season, depending on a variety of factors. For Verlander, he wrote that “…the guess is he might accept L.A. or (close to hometown) Baltimore.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers have a constellation of stars, so why not add one more? Plus, they can handle whatever salary is left for 2024, plus his vesting option of $35 million next season.
As for the Baltimore Orioles, Verlander is a native of Manakin Sabot, Va., and went to college at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va.
Only time will tell if the Astros have to make a move and if Verlander has a taker.
MATTHEW POSTINS
Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers the Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He also covers he Big 12 for Heartland College Sports.