Mets Should Maximize Value for Justin Verlander Amid MLB Trade Rumors

The Major League Baseball trade deadline is rapidly approaching on August 1 and as expected, the underperforming New York Mets appear to be sellers, with MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand reporting that the Mets could very well move three-time Cy Young Award winner and former American League MVP, Justin Verlander.

The enormity of Verlander's contract will likely make it difficult to move him but even if the team finds a trade partner, it should maximize what it gets in return from a veteran pitcher whose stuff has gotten better with every passing game.

Verlander has had an uncharacteristically bad start to his season from a command perspective.

He has already walked 30 batters through 15 games, one more than he did all of last year in 28 games for Houston. He struggled to find the zone early, often throwing balls high and getting himself in an early hole.

Since the All-Star break, though, he has improved his game enough to become an appealing trade target to his former team, the Astros, and the AL West-leading Texas Rangers. Both of those teams are in need of one more arm to really heighten their chances of a deep postseason run.

The Astros are well aware of what Verlander is capable of while Feinsand's report revealed the Rangers had previously targeted the ace during last offseason.

In three starts, he has given up just seven hits and only one homer, with an ERA of 1.89. He has struck out 19 batters in those starts and held opposing hitters to an average of .111. It is a small sample size, and Verlander is still walking batters, but they are encouraging numbers for a guy who looked like anything but the future Hall of Famer that he is just two months ago.

The improved play, as well as the playoff experience he brings with him as a two-time World Series champion, makes him an attractive target for teams in need of starting pitching as they approach the postseason.

Add to that the fact that it would leave a substantial hole in the Mets rotation and that the team will likely have to pay at least part of his salary for the rest of the season, and the organization has multiple reasons to maximize Verlander's value.

It will need a starter to fill the void left by the all-time-great righty and will also look to bolster its farm system with prospects, as it should. Anything less and it would only add further disappointment to a season defined by it, even as the Mets show signs of offensive explosion in recent games.

The Verlander experiment was a worthwhile one and based on the way he has played over his last three starts suggests it may still be. If the team is intent on selling, though, it must get every penny of value for the reigning Cy Young winner to make up for the void he leaves on the roster and the financial commitment the team is still likely to face even after he is gone.