Report: Verlander expected to hit trade market in next 2 weeks
With the Detroit Tigers sitting near the bottom of the American League standings at 34-42, Justin Verlander's time with the club may soon come to an end.
The 34-year-old winner of the 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young is expected to hit the trade market sometime in the next two weeks, according to multiple front-office sources of Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan.
Verlander has shown no desire to leave Detroit and would have to waive his no-trade clause in order for a deal to happen, according to Passan's sources. Though, the veteran is still without a championship which could potentially change his mind.
He could join a trade market that could also include fellow starters Gerrit Cole, Jose Quintana, and Sonny Gray.
The right-hander controversially finished second in Cy Young voting in 2016, after a posting a 16-9 record with a league-leading 254 strikeouts and 1.00 WHIP, but hasn't pitched as well so far this season.
| YEAR | GS | IP | W-L | ERA | WHIP | BB9 | SO9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 34 | 227.2 | 16-9 | 3.04 | 1.00 | 2.3 | 10.0 |
| 2017 | 16 | 94.2 | 5-4 | 4.47 | 1.45 | 4.2 | 8.7 |
The veteran is still owed $56 million after this year and has a vesting option for 2020 which automatically triggers if he finishes top five in 2019 Cy Young voting.
Over the course of his 13-year career, Verlander owns a 178-110 record with a 3.51 ERA, while accumulating 2,289 strikeouts across 2,433 2/3 innings.