DETROIT_It was the deal that had to happen, a match made in heaven for two organizations trending in much different directions.
At approximately 11:59 p.m. on Thursday night, Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander was traded to the Houston Astros for three prospects, according to multiple persons with knowledge of the situation.
The two teams had talked extensively about Verlander leading up to the July 31 trade deadline and intermittently over the next month, but finally came to an agreement with less than a half hour to go before the waiver trade deadline. It was then up to Verlander to waive his full no-trade clause, which he did shortly before the 11:59 p.m. deadline.
In exchange for Verlander, the Tigers received right-hander Franklin Perez, outfielder Daz Cameron (son of former Gold Glove outfielder Mike Cameron) and catcher Jake Rogers.
Perrez is the Astros' third-best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, with Cameron 9th and Rogers 11th.
The Tigers are also believed to be sending at least $10 million to the Astros (via Yahoo's Jeff Passan), with Verlander signed through 2019 with a vesting option in 2020. Verlander, 34, makes $28 million in each of the next two seasons.
The departure of Verlander means these Tigers are nearly unrecognizable. They are now a team stripped of a franchise player and are fully embracing rebuild mode, which was signaled Thursday afternoon when they traded leftfielder Justin Upton to the Los Angeles Angels.
Verlander, 34, is arguably the best Tigers right-hander of all-time. In 13 seasons with the team, he was 183-144 with a 3.49 ERA and 1.19 WHIP and six All-Star appearances. Last season, he finished second for the American League Cy Young Award and this season, he has surged in the second-half.
For the Astros, they receive a proven postseason pitcher (Verlander is 7-5 with a 3.39 ERA in 16 playoff starts) who should sit atop their starting rotation. They are all but assured of the American League West division title and with a top-ranked farm system, could afford to part with prospects like Perez, Cameron and Rogers.
