Okay so maybe this is a bit of a reach here but I like to
personally leave no stone unturned when it comes to the July 31st
trading deadline so excuse me if I didn’t at least pay attention when I heard
that the Detroit Tigers would all but trade Justin Verlander at this year’s
deadline. The Yankees need pitching help, both in the rotation and in the
bullpen, and while Verlander is not the Verlander that he once was you always
wonder if a change of scenery is good for a veteran pitcher. That and I’d love
to have Kate Upton back in the Bronx with a Yankees hat on, sue me. ---
Al Avila, the Detroit Tigers GM, has all but confirmed to
the media and to Verlander that the team is going to trade him so let’s not
focus on the “if,” let’s focus on what it would presumably cost for the
rebuilding Tigers to part with Verlander and trade him to the Yankees. Also
would Verlander be willing to waive his no-trade clause to pitch anywhere
besides Detroit?
When interviewed this week about the possibility of waiving
his no-trade clause Verlander simply responded with a “wait and see.” That’s
political correctness for “Yes, I would waive my NTC but the deal would have to
make sense for me.” We have seen it too many times before, we know that “wait
and see” means. Wait and see means he wants the team to approach him and look
like the “bad guy” rather than saying “sure I’d waive it, get me the hell out
of here and to a contender.” So in a nutshell, yes I think Verlander would
waive his NTC to come to the Bronx.
Like any trade it is going to come down to what the Tigers
want in return from the Yankees. The Yankees and Tigers were frequent trade
partners when Dave Dombrowski was their general manager so I’m sure there are
scouts and personnel who are still friendly and familiar with Brian Cashman and
company but I honestly and truly don’t know what the Tigers need and lack in
their system. Would I give up Chance Adams, Justus Sheffield, Clint Frazier or
any top-tiered prospects for Verlander? No. Would I give them Jorge Mateo and a
few prospects that are far away from the Major Leagues but have upside? Sure, I
would. That’s about as high as I would like to go though, personally.
Verlander is 5-5 this season and is scheduled to start
tomorrow against the Cleveland Indians. Verlander himself credits the lack of a
changeup for his struggles in 2016 and 2017 as he lost a feel for the pitch
while working extensively on his slider last season. Verlander is said to be
back working extensively on his changeup this season and feels as though this
season would have gone much differently had he had that changeup in his back
pocket in certain situations. Verlander is owed $56 million for the next two
seasons and has a vesting option worth $22 million for the 2020 season if he
finishes in the top five in Cy Young award voting though which may make him too
expensive for the Yankees with their austerity budget that is coming.
Would I make the trade? Yes, assuming the prospect price is
low or reasonable. Would the Yankees make the trade though? With that kind of
money on the books and Bryce Harper and Manny Machado on the horizon, probably
not. Stay tuned to find out though.
