Justin Verlander, Justin Upton Reportedly Won't Be Traded by Tigers

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander and outfielder Justin Upton are expected to remain with the organization through MLB's non-waiver trade deadline at 4 p.m. ET unless there's a late turn of events.

On Monday, Jon Morosi‏ of the MLB Network reported there are no "active trade talks" involving the longtime Tigers ace with only a handful of hours before the deadline. Meanwhile, Bob Nightengale of USA Today noted the two stars are no longer on the block, with Detroit switching its focus to potential offseason deals.

The Tigers did make one major deal before the deadline. They sent relief pitcher Justin Wilson and catcher Alex Avila to the Chicago Cubs late Sunday night in exchange for prospects Jeimer Candelario and Isaac Paredes, per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press.

Although that deal seemed like a possible signal Detroit's front office might be getting prepared for a complete rebuild, which would have included dealing Verlander and Upton before the deadline, it sounds like the franchise will wait until the winter to make a final decision.

The 34-year-old American League Cy Young Award winner bolstered his stock with six shutout innings against the heavy-hitting Houston Astros on Sunday. His overall numbers this season remain mundane, however, with a 4.29 ERA and 1.44 WHIP across 22 starts.

Chris McCosky of the Detroit News passed along comments Verlander made Sunday about the constant trade chatter in recent weeks.

"The trade deadline can be a crazy thing," he said. "Teams can come out of the woodwork sometimes. Or something gets reignited that hadn't been there. You just never know. I just tried to keep it status quo the whole time and try not to pay too much attention to it."

Upton is putting together one of the best seasons of his 11-year career with a .281/.372/.511 triple-slash line, 17 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 97 games. His current .883 OPS would be the third-highest mark since arriving to the big leagues with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007.

Their contracts presented an additional hurdle, though. Verlander is scheduled to make $28 million through 2019 with a vested option for 2020, while Upton is making $22.125 million per season with an out clause after this season, per Spotrac.

Ultimately, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a World Series contender make one more run at one of the Tigers' stars before the deadline passes this afternoon. That said, the Tigers seem content holding on to those assets until the winter as things stand right now.