Houston Astros reportedly passed on trying to reunite with SF Giants veteran pitcher

The Houston Astros reunited with one franchise cornerstone player at the trade deadline. They had a chance to reunite with another in SF Giants veteran pitcher Justin Verlander, but passed on the opportunity, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Houston Astros reportedly passed on trying to reunite with SF Giants veteran pitcher

Verlander has had two stints with the Astros, and it would not be surprising to see both team and player pursue a third stint down the road. The future Hall of Famer's most recent stint came in 2023 and 2024. He was coming off a Cy Young season in 2022 with the Astros, where he recorded a 1.75 ERA in 28 starts.

There was a New York Mets stint sandwiched between his time with the Astros. Verlander reached free agency after that Cy Young season. Houston had interest in bringing him back, but he signed with the Mets on a two-year, $86.7 million deal.

The Mets were poised to make a playoff push in 2023, but that pursuit fell flat. By the trade deadline, they shipped off many of their lucrative contracts. This included Verlander heading back to the Astros in a deal that sent prospects Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford to New York. Gilbert just joined the Giants last week in a deal that sent Tyler Rogers to the Mets.

Verlander's second stint with Houston was not quite as strong. He threw well down the stretch in 2023, but pitched to a 5.48 ERA in 17 starts last year before being left off the playoff roster.

The right-handed pitcher signed with the Giants on a one-year, $15 million pact. This included a full no-trade clause. Verlander wants to reach the 300-win threshold, but has added only one win to his ledger since joining San Francisco. That said, he has pitched well enough to win a few games this season.

The Tyler Rogers trade was a sign that the Giants were looking to move tradable assets or expiring contracts. The latter includes Verlander, and they did make him available in trade talks. However, given how he has performed, the market was likely not that strong. Returning to Houston made sense due to the connection between team and player, but the Astros were not keen on that idea.