Justin Verlander Discusses Future Ahead Of Deadline

Justin Verlander showed how much of a veteran pitcher he is. He has been the subject of many trade rumors in the past week and still came out and put together 5 1/3 strong innings on Sunday afternoon against the Washington Nationals. The 40-year old right-handed pitcher earned his sixth win of the season and hit milestone 250 in his career.

Mets’ manager Buck Showalter praised his ace after the game and spoke about his 250th win, “It’s an honor to be a part of and just watch it. Every once in a while, with a guy like Justin, I find myself just spectating, just finding a way,” said Showalter.

Verlander, himself, also spoke with the media following Sunday’s outing and commented on his 250th win, Max Scherzer being traded to the Rangers, and gave his thoughts on the trade deadline and if he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause should the situation arise.

When speaking on his 250th win, Verlander said how much it meant to him. “It’s pretty special. I told the guys after the game, you don’t play the game for accomplishments, you don’t play it for big flashy numbers. But as this game has a way of doing, sometimes you get a little kick in the butt and it’s a moment you have to take a step back and appreciate. This is one of those for me,” he said.

As expected, the postgame interview shifted to a topic that is on the forefront of so many minds and now just two days away, the trade deadline. Verlander first talked about the trade of his teammate with a no-trade clause in Scherzer. He said his initial reaction was one of being surprised.

“Obviously, kind of leave the stadium and see some of the comments he made and wonder what happened,” said Verlander. “I was a bit surprised to see it go down.”

Verlander also spoke about his own situation, “When you see that happen, you can’t help but think what it says for next year.” Verlander, like Scherzer had, has a no-trade clause in his contract. “I guess, leave it in faith’s hands and see what happens. Obviously I have a no-trade clause, so I have some ability to control my destiny,” said Verlander.

As for if he potentially waive that no-trade clause he said, “I’m committed to trying to win a championship here, but if the organization decides that that’s not the direction that best fit for next year, I’d be open to it,” he explained.

Verlander then joked about how he thought the deadline was tomorrow at midnight. When reporters told him it was Tuesday at 6:00 pm ET, Verlander kind of rolled his eyes at the thought of having more time to think about. However, the veteran right-handed starter is calm and focused on his job, stating that he’ll see what happens in the next couple days and go from there.

After the game Sunday night, Andy Martino of SNY reported that the Mets are still listening on Verlander, but that many in the industry believe he will stay a Met.

Later Sunday evening, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that divisional rivals, the Atlanta Braves, have checked in on Verlander, but are not currently engaged with the Mets on him.

The MLB trade deadline is Tuesday at 6:00 PM. It seems likely after parting with Scherzer that the Mets will make more moves. What moves, however, are still unknown.

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