Justin Verlander Says He Would Have Accepted Trade to Dodgers Last Deadline

Could Justin Verlander have ended up on the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023?

The nine-time All-Star and three-time AL Cy Young award-winning pitcher was traded from the New York Mets to the Houston Astros last season on Aug 1. However, before to the trade to the Astros was finalized, Verlander heard that both the Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles were interested. Verlander added that he would have accepted a trade to either of those teams, via Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

It’s not surprising to see Verlander would have been interested in joining either the Dodgers or Orioles — two of the three teams that finished the 2023 season with 100 wins.

Instead, Verlander returned the Astros, where he previously played from 2017-22 before joining the Mets in 2023. The Astros also put up a strong season in 2023, advancing to the ALCS where they fell to the Texas Rangers, who went on to become the World Series champions.

In 2023, Verlander posted a 3.15 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with the Mets, and a 3.31 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with the Astros. Overall, he recorded a 13-8 record in 2023.

Even in his 40s, Verlander is an effective major league starter. Verlander got his first start in the ALDS, where he recorded his sixth scoreless postseason start after pitching for six innings, tied for the most all time.

That’s precisely the kind of pitching the Dodgers could have used in the 2023 postseason, when they fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS. Instead, they lost and re-tooled their bullpen in the offseason, while Verlander remains in Houston.

Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

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