How close were the Cubs to landing Justin Verlander before Thursday night's waiver trade deadline?
Not even, according to general manager Jed Hoyer, who said Friday he figured for a while the Astros were the front-runners to acquire the ace right-hander from the Tigers.
"We never got that deep into it," Hoyer said. "I think that was going to be the result for almost the entire month (of August).
"Houston was pretty aggressive early. I think Detroit liked that offer (and) they were pretty focused on Houston all along."
The Astros shipped prospects Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron, and Jake Rogers to the Tigers in exchange for Verlander and cash, reportedly about $8 million per year for the next two seasons to help offset some of the $56 million left on his contract.
Verlander, 34, is a six-time All-Star who was 183-144 with a 3.49 ERA in 13 seasons with the Tigers. He waived his no-trade clause to allow the deal to happen.
