NY Mets: 1 trade, 1 signing, 1 prospect for Justin Verlander insurance
By Mark Powell
The New York Mets received bad injury news on Opening Day, as Justin Verlander will miss the first few weeks of the season (at least) with an injury.
Per the Mets, Justin Verlander “will be placed on the IL with a low grade teres major strain. He will continue throwing at moderate intensity and we will rescan in a week. We will provide an update at that time.”
Verlander was signed in part to replace Jacob deGrom, who the Mets thought was too injury-prone. Verlander, who won the AL Cy Young last season with the Houston Astros, came to New York on an expensive yet short-term contract, which made him the preferable option to owner Steve Cohen.
Unfortunately, Verlander’s tenure isn’t off to a great start. Mets fans have embraced the pain, as they always do, though New York’s rotation depth is a strength this season.
"“Should Verlander’s injury worsen, he’ll miss significant time, but thankfully the Mets have Max Scherzer to carry the rotation in the meantime. Behind Scherzer, Kodai Senga and Carlos Carrasco will be called upon to make up for Verlander’s lost production.”"
They should be able to sustain Verlander’s absence, but just in case, there are options available.
Justin Verlander replacements: Mets make a trade
There aren’t many obvious trade candidates available for New York at this point in the season, though surely they will become available as the spring turns to summer.
When looking at teams with the most pitching depth, the Marlins and Brewers jump out as two clear sellers. Sure, Milwaukee is expected to contend, but they’re always down to deal from a position of strength. A pitcher like Adrian Houser, who has been relegated to the bullpen, could be a good short-term upgrade for a Mets team that needs one now more than ever.
In 2022, Houser went 6-10 with a 4.73 ERA — not ideal, but he’s just a year removed from a much-improved 2021 campaign. Because of Houser’s rough 2022 season, he could be had for cheap.