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With less than 48 hours to go before the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 1, the World Series favorite Atlanta Braves are looking to add just a couple more pieces to put them over the top.
And as they target a starting pitcher, the organization did their due diligence by checking in on New York Mets’ superstar Justin Verlander, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.
However, it seems like the two division rivals have not been in active trade discussions thus far over the 40-year-old right-hander
SNY’s Andy Martino reported on Sunday that there is now an increased chance that the Mets hold on to Verlander, opting not to trade the reigning AL Cy Young award winner, which may explain why the Braves haven’t been more aggressive yet.
“The Mets are listening when teams call on Justin Verlander, but are placing an extremely high value on him — which on Sunday led to a growing belief in the industry that Verlander will stay put through Tuesday’s deadline, according to multiple rival executives,” Martino wrote.
“Teams expecting the type of salary relief that the Mets gave the Texas Rangers for Max Scherzer — approximately $35 million — are finding that the Mets are valuing Verlander differently. Trading partners wanting cash in a Verlander trade are finding the prospect ask much higher.”
New York entered this season with sky-high expectation coming off a year in which it won 101 games and owning the largest payroll in all of MLB. Instead, it finds itself as a seller at the deadline, having already traded away top reliever David Robertson to the Miami Marlins and Scherzer to the Rangers.
The Mets currently sit fourth in the NL East at 50-55 and are 18 games behind the first-place Braves, who have the best record in baseball at 67-36.
However, general manager Billy Eppler has made sure to emphasize that the team isn’t looking to rebuild, despite Verlander wondering what the Scherzer trade means for the competitive outlook of the franchise.
SNY @SNYtv
“That doesn’t mean we’re punting 2024. We’re going to have a competitive team. Like I said, we just don’t want to endure long stretches of being bad. That’s not going to be satisfying to anybody”
– Billy Eppler pic.twitter.com/0M65gyhQAF
As for Atlanta, it has looked like the most complete team in baseball for the entirety of the season with an offense that ranks top-five in batting average, runs scored, RBIs and home runs.
It is also top-five in team ERA at 3.85 with NL Cy Young favorite Spencer Strider leading the rotation. Adding Verlander would make the Braves virtually unstoppable.
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