Report: Detroit Tigers asking price for Justin Verlander will surprise you

As we approach the Major League Baseball All-Star break, it seems more and more like the Detroit Tigers (36-45, 9 GB) are ready to start selling.

One Tigers player who has surfaced in trade talks is former American League MVP, Justin Verlander.

Most believe that in order for the Tigers to trade Verlander they would have to eat some of his contract. After all, Verlander is set to make a whopping $28 million per year through the 2019 season.

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Well, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Tigers asking price may be quite a bit higher that we thought.

Teams asking about Justin Verlander; perception is DET looking for big,big,big return w/out salary offset. Owed $70m for rest of '17,'18.'19

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 4, 2017

If Olney is correct, which we have no reason to believe otherwise, the Tigers are either going to get a great deal for Verlander before the trade deadline or they are going to keep him around.

On Tuesday night, Jon Morosi reported that one team that has asked about the availability of Verlander is the Chicago Cubs.

#Cubs inquired to #Tigers on availability of Justin Verlander and Alex Avila, sources say, but sides have not engaged in trade negotiations.

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 4, 2017

As Detroit Sports Nation editor Alex Muller noted, the defending World Series Champs are in need of starting pitching.

“Three of Chicago’s five rotation starters from Opening Day — Jake Arrieta, John Lackey and Brett Anderson — are all unrestricted free agents after this season. All three are also posting an ERA of at least 4.30 or higher; Anderson is currently on the 60-day disabled list and has only made six starts this season.” – A. Muller

After finishing second in the American League Cy Young voting in 2016 (3.04 ERA and 1.00 WHIP), Verlander has not been himself through 17 starts this season. He has not been able to control his fastball and 4.96 ERA and 1.52 WHIP are not exactly the numbers of a valuable pitcher.

There is no question about it, as the MLB trade deadline approaches, teams will certainly inquire about Verlander. Will the Tigers demand the world for the fan-favorite Verlander or will their asking price come down? Only time will tell.

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