Houston Astros Acquire Verlander in Blockbuster Trade with Mets

The Houston Astros have acquired ace Justin Verlander from the New York Mets ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

It's official.

Justin Verlander is heading back to the Houston Astros after signing a free agency deal in the offseason with the New York Mets.

Despite saying they were no longer looking at adding starting pitching before the trade deadline, general manager Dana Brown kept engaging the Mets in trade conversations to get back their ace.

USA Today MLB Columnist Bob Nightengale has reported that the deal is done to send the reigning AL Cy Young winner back to the Astros.

Verlander has been phenomenal in his past seven starts, posting a 1.49 ERA with a 4-1 record.

New York had been reluctant to move on from him and it seemed like their asking price was going to be too high for Houston who don't have a lot of assets to give back in return.

However, Verlander with his full no-trade clause was in complete control of his destiny. His familiarity with Houston and the two World Series he won with the team likely played a large factor in which team he would approve a trade to.

At the time of writing, the Astros will be sending two minor league players back in return but it is unclear who those players are. It is likely that New York is sending cash back in the deal to help pay down the remainder of Verlander's two-year, $86.6 million deal that carries a vesting option in 2025 if he surpasses 140 innings in 2024.

We will update this piece when the return for Verlander becomes available. 

Update: Houston will be sending Drew Gilbert back to the Mets in the deal. It is still unclear who the second player is or how much money is being sent to Houston according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

Gilbert is the Astros' top prospect at No. 68 overall according to MLB Pipeline.