The biggest trade of the 2017 MLB season did not come until a month after the non-waiver deadline. Yesterday, the Detroit Tigers said goodbye to longtime ace Justin Verlander, sending him to the Houston Astros in exchange for three top prospects.
The move is quite impressive given the implications on both sides. The Tigers, whom have ignored the obvious call for a rebuild over the past few seasons, seem to finally be on board with that plan. Fellow stars Justin Upton, JD Martinez and Justin Wilson were also sent on their way this season. GM Al Avila had the difficult task of parting ways with Detroit’s most popular player and franchise cornerstone. Verlander was 2006’s AL Rookie of the Year with Detroit as well as 2011’s Cy Young winner and MVP.
However, the Tigers should benefit greatly with the acquisition of RHP Franklin Perez (MLB Astros no.3 prospect), OF Daz Cameron (Astros no.9) and C Jake Rogers (Astros no.11).
For the Astros, the move is even more monumental. Though they have struggled to find prolonged consistency since the All-Star break because of numerous injuries, AJ Hinch’s squad still has the best chance of winning the World Series of any Junior Circuit team, and their chances just got a heck of a lot better.
Adding Justin Verlander to a rotation that already includes Dallas Keuchel, Brad Peacock and eventually Lance McCullers, Jr. makes the ‘stros that much more terrifying. Still with a .602 W% (the best in the AL), Houston has an 11.5 game lead over the upstart LA Angels and could run away with the division even more considerably now.
Reasonably one has to acknowledge that Verlander has not been his best this year after he somehow in Heaven almost won the Cy Young Award again last season, but it’s not exactly a total reflection of him. The 34-year-old pitched to a 10-8 record and 3.82 ERA with the Tigers this season, which isn’t half bad when you consider that Detroit struggled to perform behind him.
The latter will obviously not be an issue with Houston, who possess the AL’s most electric offense with the likes of Jose Altuve and George Springer. Verlander’s best days of his career are clearly behind him, but there is no reason to believe that he doesn’t have a lot more left in the tank.
If the Astros weren’t the favorite for the American League Pennant already, chances are they probably is now. The Houston metropolitan area has been ravaged by Hurricane Harvey, and though sports can’t at all measure up to the importance of helping the people there, citizens can at the very least have some escapism in knowing that their beloved team appears to be bound for glory in 2017.