Last-minute new pitcher on trade market could keep Justin Verlander in New York
By Josh Wilson
A new pitcher hitting the trade market at the last second could be just another factor that ultimately keeps Justin Verlander on the Mets.
One case of MLB trade deadline FOMO might have just made a Justin Verlander trade even more unlikely this fine Tuesday afternoon. The Chicago White Sox, after barring Dylan Cease from trade talks leading up to the deadline, have seen everyone else having talks and decided, you know what, why not? Let’s get involved.
Cease is thought to be available now, albeit for a dramatically high price, one being described as, “the moon,” by MLB insider Mark Feinsand.
It’s possible that Cease entering the trade market makes a Verlander trade even more likely.
Strange things certainly happen on Trade Deadline day, but the White Sox are talking to teams about Dylan Cease. One executive said Chicago was "looking for the moon" for Cease, who is controllable through 2025.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) August 1, 2023
Dylan Cease adds to bustling pitcher market that might have better options than Justin Verlander
Would you rather have a 27-year-old pitcher with team control through 2025 or a 40-year-old due $43 million in 2024 and a possible $35 million year in 2025 that is likely to vest?
All else equal, especially given that Verlander has pitched his worst year in some time this year, you’d probably go with the former, which is Cease.
Cease joins the market with Michael Lorenzen and Eduardo Rodriguez who the Dodgers, thought to be the best and possibly only reasonable suitor for Verlander, are in pursuit of.
The only real reason for any team to trade for Verlander over one of the younger pitchers with longer team control and better days ahead is familiarity. That leaves just the Houston Astros, who rostered him for years and have two World Series with him as an ace. But the Astros have no prospects in the top 100 and can’t offer the same thing other teams like the Orioles might be able to.
But putting a team like Baltimore up there, for a hypothetical. A pitcher like Cease fits the timeline far better than Verlander, so why trade for Verlander instead of Cease if the price is similar?
The longer things go on, the harder it is to see Verlander playing anywhere but Queens by Wednesday.
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