Justin Verlander to the Astros, per reports

MLB Trade Rumors: Justin Verlander is going to the Houston Astros from the New York Mets, per multiple reports.

The 40 year old Verlander signed a 2 year, $86.67 million deal with a vesting option this past offseason, choosing to leave the Astros for the Mets, who were offering more money. Verlander also had a full no-trade clause in the deal, which reportedly impacted negotiations once the Mets began exploring trade options involving the righty, as his preferred option if he was traded was to return to the Astros.

Verlander has a 3.15 ERA and a 3.81 FIP in 94.1 innings over 16 starts for the Mets this year. After a slow start to the year he has improved as the season has gone on, and will now join an Astros rotation that is in need of fortification after losing multiple pitchers to injury.

Initial indications are the Mets are getting two minor leaguers for Verlander. Who those two are, we will presumably discovery fairly soon.

UPDATE — Drew Gilbert is reportedly going to New York in the deal. J.J. Cooper of Baseball America, about a half hour ago, referenced Gilbert vis-a-vis not getting too hung up on top 100/not top 100 prospect definition:

But here’s where it’s worth understanding something else. If we think of the Top 100 as a sloping curve, there are way fewer prospects who fit at the top of the 100 than do at the bottom of the list. There’s much less difference between the No. 80 prospect who sits firmly on the Top 100, and the unranked No. 120 prospect than there usually is between the No. 15 prospect on the list and the No. 30 prospect.

The difference between a prospect who ranks 90th on our Top 100 and another who just missed the list is extremely negligible. If the Brewers swung a deal that included Robert Gasser (No. 98 on our Top 100) or Tyler Black (No. 100 on our Top 100), it wouldn’t be dramatically different than the Astros sending Drew Gilbert in a deal, even if Black or Gasser is just inside the Top 100 and Gilbert’s just outside it.

Gilbert is the top ranked Astros on the BA rankings, and was the Astros’ first round pick in 2022.

For what it is worth, BP had Gilbert at #36 on their midseason top 50.

UPDATE II — The Mets are also getting Ryan Clifford, ranked third on the BA Astros list. He’s a 20 year old outfielder who got a $1.26M signing bonus as an 11th rounder in 2022.

UPDATE III — BP had Clifford in the 80s overall.

UPDATE IV — Per Joel Sherman, the Mets are paying $35 million of Verlander’s salary through 2024, and then half of his $35 million 2025 salary if that option vests. That means they are paying about as much of Verlander’s salary through 2024 as they are paying of Max Scherzer’s salary through 2024.