We've yet to hear from Justin Verlander after news broke that he is signing with the Mets Monday afternoon…but we have heard from his brother, Ben, who discussed the signing on his "Flippin' Bats" podcast later in the day.
And let's just say that the reigning AL Cy Young winner wants to be here as much as it seemed the recently-departed two-time NL Cy Young didn't.
"I just talked to Justin, he is so pumped up," Ben Verlander said on the podcast. "The first thing to me after talking to Justin is just how happy he is – relieved, excited, pumped up. It was very, very obvious from the second he called, the smile on his face."
Coming off a World Series win, another one is important to Justin Verlander, and that's why the Mets were a consideration to start with.
The first thing that he mentioned is 'I want to win, that's the goal. My goal is to win, that's my number one goal,'" Ben Verlander explained. "He was blown away by their commitment to winning. It's something that he wanted to be a part of."
And then, it was then the culture that sold him.
"He said that the direction that this franchise has been heading for the last few years has been something that he's taken notice of very clearly," Ben said. "Not just on the field, but off the field as well – the hirings that they've been making off the field, the analytics department, the strength and conditioning, the people that need to be added in the right place have been, and he's been very impressed by the direction that this franchise has been going. Winning on the field and winning off the field as well."
He's now soon-to-be-officially co-aces with Max Scherzer, two bulldogs in their twilight years who have World Series rings and experience together in Detroit, and Justin Verlander is ready to come in and be a leader for the younger players…and maybe more to come?
"This isn't the end for the Mets, and Justin was told as much," Ben said. "This roster that we see now will not be the same team that we see on Opening Day. I know that's going to be the case, and Justin is just so pumped up."
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