Houston Astros Made One of Biggest Trades in Recent Sports History

The Houston Astros trade for this star pitcher is one of the biggest in sports in the last 25 years.

Sep 28, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The 2024 season looks like it could end up being the end of an era for the Houston Astros.

Their seven-year streak of reaching the ALCS was snapped by the Detroit Tigers in the Wild Card when they were swept in two games.

Now this winter, pieces of their core from those runs could be on the move.

Star right fielder Kyle Tucker, who made his debut in 2018, was traded to the Chicago Cubs. Third baseman Alex Bregman is still a free agent, and many insiders and analysts believe he will move on as many homegrown talents have done before him.

Some of the key contributors from over the years remain, such as Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez, but the team is likely saying goodbye to another contributor from their dynasty; starting pitcher Justin Verlander.

There was a gap in his tenure with the franchise, as he spent the first half of the 2023 campaign with the New York Mets after signing a free-agent deal with them before being traded back to the Astros.

It was his acquisition from the Tigers that helped jumpstart Houston's stretch of dominance.

On August 31, 2017, right as the waiver trade deadline was ticking down, Verlander waived his no-trade clause and accepted a move to the Astros.

It was not cheap, as he was owed $56 million over the following two years in salary. Houston also traded away their No. 1 prospect, starting pitcher Franklin Perez, outfielder Daz Cameron, who was a first-round pick in the 2015 MLB draft, and catcher Jake Rogers.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Just two months later, that seven-year ALCS streak began.

The Astros won the first of their two World Series rings, advancing there a third time in 2021, but losing to the Atlanta Braves.

Over at Bleacher Report, a piece was put together highlighting the biggest trades in any sport over the last 25 years, and this blockbuster came in at No. 20 on the list.

During that first playoff stretch, Verlander proved just how valuable he was with some dominant outings.

“He went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts down the stretch, and 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 36.2 innings in the postseason, winning ALCS MVP honors and helping to deliver a World Series title,” as written by the Bleacher Report staff.

In 2018, he finished second in the Cy Young Award race before winning the award for a second time in 2019. He would make it three in 2022.

This was a trade that worked out wonderfully for Houston, as Verlander had some of the most impressive seasons of his Hall of Fame career with them.

Across seven seasons, he went 73-28 with a 2.71 ERA in 810 1/3 innings with 962 strikeouts.