Getty Image / Dustin Satloff
The New York Mets spent the offseason once again throwing money around to try and build a contender.
They brought Brandon Nimmo and Edwin Diaz back with sizable contract extensions.
They landed Kodai Senga at $15 million per year.
Most notably, they signed Justin Verlander for more than $40 million per year after he earned his 3rd career Cy Young thanks to an impressive 1.75 ERA.
All of these moves helped lead to the Mets entering the 2023 MLB season with the most expensive payroll in baseball by a pretty decent margin.
Unfortunately for the Mets, that expensive roster hasn’t led to much success.
With almost 100 games played this season, the New York Mets are currently 5 games under .500 and are a staggering 18 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.
As a result of their struggles so far this season, there is the possibility they could go from a big spender in the offseason to a seller at the trade deadline.
If they do end up reversing course ahead of the deadline, it looks like one of their stars is already attracting attention from a team that is still in contention.
According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the San Francisco Giants are evaluating Verlander as a potential trade target ahead of the deadline.
Sources: The Giants are among the teams evaluating Justin Verlander as a trade deadline candidate, should he become willing to waive his no-trade clause. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 22, 2023
Verlander hasn’t been able to maintain the ridiculous form he was in last season, but he has still been a solid pitcher for the Mets this year.
He currently has a 3.47 ERA and has actually been at his best over the last month, allowing just 6 earned runs in 31 innings over his last 5 starts.
The Giants currently have the 10th best ERA in the MLB, but their starting rotation is very top heavy.
Logan Webb and Alex Cobb have been a solid top 2 for the Giants, but they don’t have another starter with an ERA under 4.50.
Verlander would give them the 3rd starter they need to be able to make a run in the playoffs.
The San Francisco Giants will need Justin Verlander to waive his no-trade clause to make it happen, but he could be the piece they need to make up the game deficit they face in the NL West and make a run in the playoffs.