Who is staying and who is moving? All of those questions will be answered between now and 4 p.m. ET on Monday.
Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander remains one of the more appealing names on the market. There’s no shortage of teams who would like to nab the former Cy Young and MVP winner. However, as has been the case for the last month, there are countless hurdles to leap over for any deal to take place.
It is precisely those hurdles that appear to be decreasing the chances that Verlander is dealt some time before Monday. A recent report from Ken Rosenthal would support that.
If a deal happens – and the odds remain heavily against it – the framework would need to be agreed upon well before the deadline.
Verlander, as a player with 10 years of service, five consecutive with the same club, would need to approve any deal, and the commissioner’s office would need to approve any cash exchange of more than $1 million, which would be likely occur in this case.
Everybody and their mother and brother know the various obstacles both the Tigers and any potential buyer for Verlander. The biggest one, not surprisingly, is the contract. Verlander is still owed a minimum of $56 million through the 2019 season (with a possible $22M option for 2020).
We highlighted that there is no shortage of interest in Verlander. The Cubs and Dodgers have been the reported front-runners in recent weeks, with the Brewers and Astros also having shown reported interest as well. But as is the case with all of these clubs, they seem to be at major odds with the Tigers when it comes to taking on the remainder of Verlander’s salary.
There’s also Verlander’s no-trade clause in his contract. He has all the power in any proposed deal. The vibe is that Verlander would want to go to a contender in “win now” mode, and nearly all of the teams listed above fit that bill for sure.
Then there is the potential return package Detroit is seeking. Not surprisingly, they are looking for a substantial crop of prospects in addition to shedding as much of his salary as possible. This wrinkle has further complicated talks. And as Rosenthal points out, as long as Detroit and [insert trade partner here] remain far apart, a trade will almost not happen between now and Monday.
Rosenthal does add in his latest report that while any trade involving Verlander is increasingly unlikely, he notes that two other Tigers still remain high on the wish list of other teams.
One person with knowledge of the Tigers’ thinking said there is a “low probability” that Verlander will be moved. Reliever Justin Wilson, on the other hand, is almost certain to be gone, and catcher Alex Avila figures to go, too.
They should keep him and turn him into John Smoltz by converting him to a closer in the next couple years. He has all the pitches to be very effective, and it will prolong his career. Being a strikeout pitcher there are a lot of miles on that arm.
The Tigers should have begun their rebuild last offseason. They got less for Martinez because they waited. Like the White Sox, they had the assets that could have brought back a nice return. However, unlike the White Sox, they are sitting on their hands while these assets lose value. By the time they are ready to compete again, Verlander, Kinsler, Wilson, etc. will no longer be contributing. The worst place to be as an organization is halfway between rebuilding or competing.
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