Mets Firesale Continues As Star Pitcher Justin Verlander Reportedly Is Traded To Contender

What is next for the new-look Mets after trading away another star?

The New York Mets reportedly have made their decision on star pitcher Justin Verlander's future. 

The three-time Cy Young Award winner has been in the news lately as rumors swirled about whether or not he would be traded ahead of the 2023 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline. Although Verlander indicated he preferred to remain in New York, the Mets reportedly decided to trade the star righty back to the Houston Astros, according to USA Today Sports' Bob Nightengale. 

"Justin Verlander has been traded to the Astros," Nightengale said.

This isn't the first time the future Hall of Famer has been traded to Houston. Verlander was dealt from the Detroit Tigers to the Astros during the 2017 campaign and remained with the club until this season. The 40-year-old signed as a free agent with the Mets this past offseason but now will return to the Astros. 

In about four and a half seasons in Houston, Verlander helped lead the club to two World Series titles and was extremely successful. The righty won two of his three Cy Young Awards as a member of the Astros, including most recently in 2022 when he led the American League with an eye-popping 1.75 ERA to go along with a sterling 18-4 record. 

New York's big move in dealing Verlander back to the Astros brought in a solid haul but shows how disappointing of a season the 2023 campaign has been. The Mets entered the season with title aspirations and after some major struggles now have traded two former Cy Young Award winners in Verlander and Max Scherzer within a week of each other and now need to turn to the drawing board to determine the organization's path forward. 

The Mets do have a bright future, but losing Verlander will hurt in the short-term.

In exchange for Verlander, the Mets got outfielder Drew Gilbert, the Astros' No. 1 ranked prospect, and outfielder Ryan Clifford, Houston's No. 4 ranked prospect.

Gilbert is in Double-A and Clifford is in High-A ball.

The Mets will be paying down a significant amount of the remaining $93 million that Verlander is owed through 2025. According to Nightengale, the Mets will pay $54 million if Verlander's vested option kicks in for '25.