Amid a frustrating summer for the San Francisco Giants, at least future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander is pitching better of late. There are just two problems: the Giants’ playoff window is likely already shut, at least for this year, and the Houston Astros aren’t reaping the benefits of Verlander’s improved outings.
Verlander limited the Pirates to three hits and an unearned run over five innings on Monday night. The three-time Cy Young winner struck out four and only walked one in his second straight no-decision, and he's allowed just one earned run over his last 15 innings of work. Unfortunately for the Giants, their 5-4 loss dropped them to six back in the NL Wild Card chase, as the team's soft sell at the trade deadline appears to have taken what little wind remained out of their sails.
Barring the Giants unexpectedly releasing Verlander down the stretch, the two are stuck with one another in what could be the final season of his Hall of Fame career. The Giants opted not to trade Verlander ahead of last Thursday’s deadline, though the Astros reportedly had interest in reuniting with their former ace.
So, why didn’t Houston bring Verlander back for one final title run? USA Today reported that the Astros “passed” on Verlander, who is on a one-year, $15 million contract.
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Will the Astros regret not trading for Justin Verlander?
To be clear, the Astros — or any other team that would have made a play for Verlander — wouldn’t be acquiring the dominant Verlander of old. This version of Verlander has a 4.29 ERA and an 81:35 K:BB ratio in 94.1 innings; his 3.3 walks per nine is his highest since 2017.
However, Verlander has turned in three straight strong starts, limiting opponents to a single earned run in 15 innings. Houston could have used that and Verlander’s playoff experience; he’s pitched 226 postseason innings and won two championships in his 21 seasons in the Majors. While the Astros obviously aren’t strangers to October, it never hurts to have another veteran presence who knows what it takes to close the deal.
“This is the best he’s felt all year,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said on Monday night. “So unfortunately, we don’t get him a win, but this is his best stretch and the velocity has probably been better than it’s been all year, too.”
Even if Verlander is only good for five innings a start, that might be enough down the stretch. Houston only has a three-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the AL West, and only one of those teams has MVP candidate Cal Raleigh at their disposal.
We might look back and say that the Astros made the right move in passing on Verlander, especially if his age and two decades of an MLB workload fully take their toll. For now, though, we’re left to wonder just how Verlander would have fared had he worn an Astros uniform one more time.