Justin Verlander deal is a win-win for Astros and Tigers
— -- Trade grades: Justin Upton adds firepower | Brandon Phillips addresses Angels' weakness
Trade:? Houston Astros acquired RHP Justin Verlander from Detroit Tigers for LHP Franklin Perez, OF Daz Cameron and C Jake Rogers
The on-again, off-again, on-again nature of this trade kept everyone glued to Twitter (the 21st century version of the news wire). News finally broke shortly after midnight ET on Sept. 1, and the Astros now have another power arm in their rotation.
Astros grade: A
I love this deal for the Astros. I know, Verlander's contract is somewhat prohibitive, with $56 million owed over the next two seasons. I know he's not the Verlander of Cy Young vintage. They gave up an excellent pitching prospect in Perez.
But Verlander is still a very good pitcher. He's 10-8 with a 3.82 ERA on a bad team with 176 strikeouts in 172 innings. He's also been terrific in the second half, with a 2.41 ERA over 10 starts, ranking third in the AL in ERA, second in WHIP, second in batting average allowed and fifth in K's per nine. So he's been close to vintage Verlander of late, and he's a guy with postseason success in his career. If there's one concern, it's that he has a 2.76 ERA in pitcher-friendly Detroit and a 4.78 ERA on the road.
The Astros certainly needed rotation help. At the non-waiver deadline in July, they went after relief pitching, settling for Francisco Liriano instead of getting Zach Britton. That lack of big action led to Dallas Keuchel's criticizing the front office. After posting a 3.82 ERA in the first half, the rotation has a 4.79 mark in the second half.
Lance McCullers Jr. is still on the DL with back discomfort, and Keuchel has a 5.35 ERA in seven starts since returning from his own DL stint. Given the condition of those two, it's likely Verlander becomes the team's Game 1 playoff starter. The Astros will reportedly get $10 million, as well, but kudos to owner Jim Crane for agreeing to spend the money when many owners are unwilling to make this kind of move.
Tigers grade: A
Obviously, there's no guarantee with prospects, but Perez was No. 43 on Keith Law's midseason list, Cameron (son of Mike) is a toolsy outfielder who has played great in low-A ball at age 20 after a slow start and Rogers is 2016 third-round pick out of Tulane with a good defensive reputation and 18 home runs in Class A.
Given Verlander's contract, that's a nice return of prospects. In many ways, it's a sad day for Tigers fans and the organization, but it was clear that time was up on the Verlander- Miguel Cabrera era. The team needed a complete overhaul, and this is a good starting point.