In the hour leading up to tonight’s midnight deadline to acquire players for use on a postseason roster, it didn’t sound like the heavily rumored Justin Verlander trade between the Tigers and Astros would be coming to fruition. Whether due to Verlander’s no-trade clause or something else, the deadline came and went with no news of a trade:
Until about twenty minutes after the deadline, when, surprise! News broke of a last-minute trade, reported first by Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press and confirmed by FanRag’s Jon Heyman and others. The Astros are reportedly sending prospects Daz Cameron, Franklin Perez and Jake Rogers to the Tigers in exchange. Detroit will also send Houston $10 million in the deal, supposedly to cover some of the guaranteed $56 million remaining on Verlander’s contract after this season:
Though Houston has the best record in the American League, their rotation has struggled with injuries this year and Verlander will provide a significant boost to make them that much scarier for this season’s playoffs and beyond.