Justin Verlander sends clear message to Mets’ front office

As the Aug. 1 Major League Baseball trade deadline nears, much has been made about the New York Mets’ disappointing season. The Mets entered Wednesday six games under .500 and seven games back in the National League Wild Card race. With less than a week to go before executives around the league are forced to put their pencils down, New York has some difficult decisions to make.

The most likely outcome here is the Mets will elect to trade players like David Robertson, Tommy Pham and Mark Canha, who fit into the category of “rentals.” Another player whose name has come up and has been extensively scouted by other teams is Justin Verlander.

Verlander’s start to his Mets career got off to a rather rocky start, but that was mainly due to his injury. His demise was significantly overblown, as he’s been among the best pitchers in baseball over the last month. In his last six starts, Verlander has struck out 32 batters and posted a 1.46 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. Four of those stars can be quantified as “quality,” as he’s gotten his season ERA down to 3.24

Needless to say, it’s reasonable to assume why other teams are interested in the 40-year-old starter. But that doesn’t mean the Mets are willing to entertain offers, or Verlander, who has a no-trade clause, is willing to go anywhere.

Following the Mets’ 9-3 win over the New York Yankees, in which he allowed just two hits over six scoreless innings, Verlander was asked about the upcoming trade deadline. He said that if there was any chance of a possible trade, he would hope that general manager Billy Eppler would come and talk to him. And Verlander acknowledged that has yet to happen yet.

“I told you that I’m focused on being a Met,” he said to a group of reporters. “That’s why I signed here and I want to win here. Obviously, it hasn’t gone according to plan just yet, but I didn’t sign a one-year deal, so there’s that.”

Justin Verlander speaks on the trade deadline:

"I'm focused on being a Met. That's why I signed here and I want to win here. Obviously it hasn't gone according to plan just yet, but I didn't sign a one year deal so there's that" pic.twitter.com/0on0cwQVwK

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 26, 2023

It remains to be seen what the Mets ultimately decide to do with Verlander. More likely than not, unless the front office is blown away by a trade offer, he’ll probably be staying in New York for the foreseeable future.

[SNY on Twitter]