The New York Mets are currently in the middle of a “soft” sale.
They have fallen too far down the standings and have little hopes of contending at this point.
As a result, they have traded closer David Robertson and ace Max Scherzer for three very good prospects.
There might be more deals on the way: Mark Canha is a possibility to be traded, and some of their relievers have caught the rest of the league’s attention.
However, there is another high-impact pitcher who could be switching teams in the next few hours: Justin Verlander.
Verlander, as you probably recall, was the Mets’ signature signing this offseason.
The reigning AL Cy Young award winner missed the first month of the season, but is back to peak form and boasts a solid 3.24 ERA this year.
However, with the Mets shedding some short-term contracts and looking for prospects in return, his name has appeared in trade rumors in the past few days.
His former team, the Houston Astros, are reportedly interested.
“The Astros and Justin Verlander are indeed in talks but are not close to the finish line. Biggest hang up is JV’s vesting option for 2025 worth $35M, per sources. The Astros would like the Mets to pay down some of his salary but reluctant to pay the unguaranteed option,” Astros insider Michael Schwaab tweeted.
The Astros and Justin Verlander are indeed in talks but are not close to the finish line.
Biggest hang up is JV’s vesting option for 2025 worth $35M, per sources.
The Astros would like the Mets to pay down some of his salary but reluctant to pay the unguaranteed option.
— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) July 30, 2023
Verlander signed a two-year, $86.6 million deal in the offseason with a vesting option for 2025 worth $35 million.
That appears to be the biggest holdup in trade talks with the Astros right now.
Houston, having a few stars with potential extension talks coming up (Kyle Tucker, Jose Altuve, and Alex Bregman are some of them), want to retain some financial flexibility.
The two sides still have a couple of days to hammer out a deal, though.
Will Verlander return to the team in which his career had a notable resurgence?
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