Justin Verlander walked off the mound to a standing ovation on Sunday in Queens, with fans applauding the future Hall of Famer for being in line to win his 250th career game, while also acknowledging that it could be the last time they see Verlander in a Mets uniform.
That certainly wasn’t a reality Verlander or any Mets fans believed they would face after Verlander signed a multi-year deal in the offseason, but as New York continued to sell off pieces with the trade of Max Scherzer on Saturday, Verlander admittedly would be open-minded to a trade.
“A bit surprised with that one,” Verlander said of the Scherzer trade. “Obviously you leave the stadium and see some of the comments he made and you wonder what happened. Things obviously come together really quickly.
“[David Robertson] was a tough one, but you don’t know the circumstances…Max was obviously supposed to be an integral part of this team next season. When you see that happen, you can’t help but think, ‘What’s in store for next year?’ we play the game to win, and you want the opportunity to do so.”
Scherzer was dealt shortly after having a talk with Mets brass regarding the future of the franchise, and Verlander, putting up much better numbers than Scherzer this season, could follow a similar path, which would dismantle a two-headed monster atop the Mets rotation which the team thought would make it among the most formidable in the league in a playoff series.
“It largely depends on how the organization views next year,” Verlander said. “I think Max is a tough sign for trying to go back at it like this year. Like I said, I’m committed to winning a championship here, but if the organization decides that’s not the direction that’s best fit for next year, I’d be open to it.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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