Houston acquires Verlander from New York

The Houston Astros and Justin Verlander are getting back together in an aspiration of winning a 3^rd championship together.

Breaking: The Houston Astros have a deal in place to acquire ace Justin Verlander from the New York Mets, sources familiar with the agreement tell @JeffPassan. pic.twitter.com/aQ5qSMvKrF

— ESPN (@espn) August 1, 2023

Houston reached an agreement with the MLB franchise from the Big Apple today to reacquire Justin, bringing the reigning American League Cy Young Award champ back to the organization. Outfielder Drew Gilbert, Houston’s best prospect, is heading to New York in the exchange, as is minor league outfielder Ryan Clifford.

Clifford, an 11^th-round draft selection in the past season, is ranked 4^th on Astros’ system after an impressive stay in High-A.

The star pitcher returned from Tommy John’s procedure to capture his third Cy Young in Houston in 2022, then helped lead the organization to its 2^nd World Series title in 6 years.

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Verlander inked a 2-year, almost 87 million-dollar contract with the Mets, but the team from the Big Apple is underperforming and started a sell-off that allowed Houston to get him back.

Sunday: Mets trade Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers.

Tuesday: Mets trade Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros.

In just 48 hours, the Cy Young winners have gone from teammates in New York to rivals competing for a division title in Texas. pic.twitter.com/vBDn5r1rYT

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) August 1, 2023