The Houston Astros have fortified their roster by turning to a familiar face as they make a huge push for the playoffs.
Justin Verlander returns to Minute Maid Park after leaving the club when the Astros dealt for him in exchange for outfielders Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford, who are Astros' No. 1 and No. 4 prospects, respectively.
Manager Dusty Baker loved the development and reunion with JV.
"Well, I'm trying not to come out here smiling too much," he said.
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When asked about how his roster is doing now after the latest acquisitions, he has this to say:
"Well. Amen. We're half a game out. I like that. I like our chances. We got several teams in our division that have really improved."
Verlander was with the Astros from 2017 to 2020 before missing the next two seasons due to injuries. He re-joined the team by 2022 but left them as a free agent to sign with the New York Mets.
The right-hand pitcher had his best years as a pro with them, having won two American League Cy Young Awards and two World Series with the club.
Verlander filling the club's immediate needs
The Astros are sitting in second place in the AL West, just half a game behind the Texas Rangers. However, they will not be complacent.
Astros owner Jim Crane said they needed someone to improve their pitching department, which is why they pulled the trigger on Verlander.
"[General manager Dana Brown] and his team worked on it hard," he told the Associated Press.
"After we looked at the numbers -- it's always tough to give up prospects, but I think they determined that it was the right move. We needed starting pitching. He's been throwing well. And I think the other factor is they ate a lot of the contract. So it wasn't a really hard decision. It was just would we give up enough prospects?"
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