The MLB’s hard trade deadline kicked in when midnight struck on Friday morning, and the Houston Astros bolstered their pitching staff by adding Justin Verlander in a deal with the Detroit Tigers.
The 34-year-old isn’t the ace pitcher he once was, but owns a solid 10-8 record with a 3.82 ERA, and has racked up 176 strikeouts over 172 innings this season.
Heading to Detroit are prospects Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron and Jake Rogers.
The blockbuster deal was reported extremely late in 11th hour prior to the deadline kicking in, according to Jon Heyman on FanRag Sports. Heyman had this incredible tweet regarding the timing of the trade.
For context, the Astros play at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Here’s a snapshot of some of the best reaction around baseball:
The veteran pitcher has been a Tiger since 2005 and won the Cy Young in 2011, with 2nd place finishes in 2012 and 2016.
Verlander is the latest Tiger to leave the city of Detroit after J.D. Martinez, Alex Avila, Justin Wilson and Justin Upton, who were all traded away from the rebuilding franchise this season.
Verlander gives Houston a solid shot at going deep in the playoffs, and with all that’s going in the city right now, it’s hard not to feel a little bit of a soft spot for Astros.
