The Los Angeles Dodgers are seen as the favorites to complete a Justin Verlander blockbuster before the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline, however, there are a few major hurdles that could sink a potential deal.
We are less than 48 hours away from this year’s trade deadline and it looks like New York Mets ace Justin Verlander is the biggest fish up for grabs. While there have been rumblings of possible trades for All-Star talent like Josh Bader or Juan Soto, a Verlander deal seems to be the most realistic.
Related: MLB trade tracker – Grades, analysis on every deal
The reason why the New York Mets are open to trading the player they gave a two-year, $86.6 million contract in the winter already is that their 2023 postseason hopes are a complete longshot at this point, and this current trade market is favorable to sellers with front-line impact starting pitchers. Furthermore, they shipped off fellow ace Max Scherzer on Saturday to the Texas Rangers, so the team is open for business if the right offer comes around.
However, it seems that the Mets are taking a very different approach to Justin Verlander trade talks compared to Scherzer. With the 2022 American League Cy Young having a stronger season, SNY MLB insider Andy Martino reported Sunday that New York has a far higher asking price for the former Houston Astros star, especially if an interested team wants them to pick up a chunk of his remaining contract as they did for Texas with Scherzer.
Los Angeles Dodgers concerned about long-term investment in Justin Verlander
That seems to be one of the various issues when it comes to the Los Angeles Dodgers and their long-rumored pursuit of Verlander. Yesterday, The Athletic MLB insider Ken Rosenthal revealed that there is a lot of “buzz” around the league about a deal getting done to send the pitcher to LA, especially since they have prospects to offer that is more favorable to New York.
Yet there are hurdles in getting a deal done. Firstly, Justin Verlander had a full no-trade clause and he would have to okay the move. However, the Dodgers were in the running for him this winter so he clearly isn’t completely against playing there. Rosenthal also reported that “the Dodgers likely would be uncomfortable with Verlander’s conditional option that guarantees him $35 million at age 42 in 2025 if he pitches 140 innings next season.”
That second hurdle links back to the aforementioned issue of the increased New York Mets asking price for Verlander who has been one of the better pitchers in MLB over the last month. Do the Los Angeles Dodgers feel this is a team that can win a title in 2023 and are willing to give up premium assets for the ace? Furthermore, would his massive contract affect rumored plans for a strong Shohei Ohtani pursuit in MLB free agency this winter?
The Dodgers have some major questions to answer before 6 PM ET on Tuesday.