Detroit Tigers Trading Justin Verlander One of Biggest Deals in Recent Sports History
The Detroit Tigers shocked the baseball world with the unprecedented run they went on in the second half of the 2024 season.
After being sellers at the deadline, they caught fire and ended up earning a Wild Card spot, snapping their nine-year playoff drought.
They even won in the ALWC, defeating the Houston Astros.
It snapped Houston’s seven-year streak of advancing to the ALCS, as they made the World Series three times and won it twice.
No one knew it at the time, but that victory over the Astros could have very well been the end of their dynasty.
Right fielder Kyle Tucker has already been traded to the Chicago Cubs in an unexpected blockbuster deal this offseason. Star third baseman Alex Bregman is a free agent and all signs are pointing toward him departing like several homegrown players before him.
It is such a coincidence, and almost fitting, that it was the Tigers who could have ended the Astros' dynasty since Detroit had a direct hand in starting it back in 2017.
In the middle of what would turn out to be a 98-loss season, and their third straight campaign without a playoff appearance, the Tigers were heading toward a rebuild.
That wasn’t something Justin Verlander wanted to be a part of, but he possessed a no-trade clause.
That, along with the $56 million he was owed in 2018 and 2019, complicated matters.
He wasn’t moved ahead of the deadline in July, but ahead of the Aug. 31 waiver deadline, things began to pick up. With just minutes to spare, he agreed to waive his no-trade clause and accept a deal to Houston.
At the time, it looked like the kind of deal that could help Detroit get out of their rebuild quickly.
In exchange for Verlander, they received starting pitcher Franklin Perez, who was the Astros’ No. 1 prospect at the time. 2015 first-round pick, outfielder Daz Cameron, was also involved in the deal, along with catcher Jake Rogers.
The trade certainly didn’t pan out as well as the Tigers had hoped it would.
While Verlander was anchoring a World Series rotation and would win two more Cy Young Awards, Detroit floundered.
Perez, who was a consensus top 100 prospect for multiple years, never made it to the Major Leagues. He is still only 27 years old, but has never advanced beyond Double-A.
Cameron made his MLB debut in 2020, playing parts of three seasons with the Tigers.
He recorded a paltry .201/.266/.330 slash line across 73 games and 244 plate appearances. After not appearing in the bigs in 2023, he played in 66 games with the Athletics in 2024.
Rogers was the starting catcher for Detroit during their run to and during the postseason, taking part in the potential toppling of the Houston dynasty seven years later.
The deal was ranked No. 20 in Bleacher Report’s article ranking the biggest trades in sports history over the last 25 years.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.