Trade Target: Justin Verlander

[Lasorda_This_Out]

Per Spotrac:

 

Justin Verlander signed a 2 year / $66,000,000 contract with the Houston Astros, including $66,000,000 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $33,000,000. In 2020, Verlander will earn a base salary of $33,000,000, while carrying a total salary of $33,000,000.

 

How many pitches will Justin be asked to ping opposing batters after Houston players are targeted for retaliation for the sign stealing scandal? How many ejections in 2020?

 

Houston is in complete disarray....no Man's Land entering 2020...

 

FalVine: "Lewis or Kiriloff for Verlander, straight up?"

 

 

 

Comments?

[howieramone2]

Our benevolent owner won't stroke the pen for 33M in 2020. If the Astros foot bill in 2020, I'd offer board favorites The Turtle, Trevor May, and Romero. That's 2 starting pitchers right?

[stringer bell]

This topic will be moved to Other Baseball. While it does refer to the possibility of the Twins acquiring the player. The bulk of the OP is the size of the contract and the status of the team issuing the contract.

[Doctor Gast]

I`m sorry, I don`t see that happening. Giving up that much (although we can spare Kirloff, I really like him) & then having to pay his salary. I rather find a potentially Verlander level pitcher & develop him.

[Mr. Brooks]

Verlander is already being paid full market salary.

You don't trade good prospects for guys you also have to pay full price, unless Houston is picking up a bunch of salary.

[jkcarew]

Houston is in complete disarray....no Man's Land entering 2020...

In such disarray that Vegas still gives them shorter odds than the Twins to win the AL pennant.

 

Maybe you meant SHOULD be in 'complete disarray'....which most (or at least many) here would agree with.

 

Will there be distractions? Yes. But, Altuve, Correa, Springer...these are guys that were 5-8 WAR guys in 2016. Newer guys like Bregman and Alvarez are legit whether we like it or not. Meanwhile, getting awarded a ton of free based on HBP (as many here predict) won't exactly make them worse. (Although, losing Cole will leave a mark.) I can 100% guarantee that Verlander fully expects to compete for pennants over these remaining years in Houston.

[Otto von Ballpark]

I updated the thread title, so it no longer suggests that Verlander just signed this contract. (He signed it in March 2019.)

 

Also worth noting he still has full no-trade protection, and was fairly particular about waiving that even when he was on a sinking ship in Detroit. I'm pretty sure bad press / controversy alone won't make him want to leave Houston.