Detroit Tigers trade rumors: Justin Verlander scouted by Dodgers, Cubs, Astros, Brewers
By Matt Snyder
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander was scouted by the Dodgers, Cubs, Astros, and Brewers during Monday night’s start against the Kansas City Royals.
The Detroit Tigers lost to the Kansas City Royals on Monday night, but Justin Verlander turned in a quality performance as trade rumors swirled around him. Verlander struck out nine batters against two walks while allowing three earned runs in seven innings of work.
It was the type of performance that a team looking to trade for the veteran ace starting pitcher would like to see. According to Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated, no fewer than four teams had scouts in attendance to watch Verlander’s outing.
"The Dodgers, Astros, Cubs and Brewers are among the contending teams scouting Verlander, who has full veto rights over a trade. All had scouts monitoring his start Monday night in Detroit."
Verlander’s contract is still a hurdle in the negotiations with the Tigers looking to cut salary and also acquire minor league talent as they look to build for future seasons. Verlander is making $28 million this season and is owed the same amount in each of the next two years as well (plus he holds a vesting option for 2020).
Ken Rosenthal looked at the numbers and determined that the Cubs could make Verlander’s salary work while staying under the luxury tax threshold.
"Here’s something interesting you might know about the Cubs: Their luxury-tax number for 2018 is $74.6 million, leaving them more than under $120 million under the threshold, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts."
A team like the Dodgers, on the other hand, would have to pay a significant tax on Verlander’s salary in future years. This
#Dodgers would pay a tax of 72.5% in 2017, and up to 95% in 2018 on any additions to their payroll. Verlander would cost $48.3 to 54.6M/ yr
— Tigerdog; (@Tigerdog_1) July 24, 2017
This would make it easier for the Tigers to strike a deal with the Cubs than the Dodgers if they hoped to get a prospect return while not eating a significant portion of Verlander’s future salary.
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Those same scouts were also likely interested in closer Justin Wilson who struck out a batter in a clean ninth inning in what was then a tie game.