SHOOT YOUR SHOT

A Verlander return seems attractive, here are some better options for Astros

Mets owner Steve Cohen scheduled a press conference this week to address the disappointing state of the team. Cohen revealed that the team would be open to being sellers at the trade deadline if the team had no chance to make the playoffs.

They recently paid down Eduardo Escobar's contract ($9.5 million) to league minimum to facilitate a trade to the Angels. With that in mind, would the Mets be open to trading either Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer if New York is out of playoff contention?

And if so, which pitcher would Astros fans rather have? Verlander seems like the obvious option considering his history with the club. But Scherzer is very appealing in his own right. He shut down the Astros recently, is younger than Verlander, and has a player option to opt out of his deal next year. Which might appeal to the Astros as Verlander's contract is guaranteed for the 2024 season.

Of course, Scherzer could elect to not opt out, which would leave the Astros on the hook for Scherzer's 2024 salary. Also, Max has a no-trade clause. But recently it was reported that he would consider waiving his no-trade clause for a good situation with a chance to compete for a championship.

Finally, if neither of the Mets pitchers are available, who are some options the Astros could have interest in with the trade deadline approaching?

Be sure to watch the full discussion above as we break it all down!

If you like the videos, subscribe on YouTube so don't miss our latest content.

Listen to The Bench with John Granato and Lance Zierlein weekday mornings on ESPN 97.5 or 92.5 FM.

Most Popular

The Houston Texans have a huge game against the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, and they must come away with a victory if they want to avoid falling to 0-3 on the season.

And don't look now, but beating the Jags just got a little more difficult with Aaron Wilson reporting that Derek Stingley Jr is expected to miss multiple weeks with a hamstring injury. Plus, nickel corner Tavierre Thomas will also be out after having surgery on his hand.

The Texans are dealing with a massive amount of injuries just two weeks into the season. But one could argue some of these could have been avoided.

Both Stingley and guard Kenyon Green (IR) had injury concerns coming out of college and GM Nick Caseiro decided to draft them in the top half of the first round, despite those red flags.

Green will miss the rest of the season needing shoulder surgery, and if Stingley is placed on IR and misses 4 games, he will have only played in 11 of a possible 23 games to start his career. Don't forget, Stingley missed time due to a hamstring issue in 2022 as well.

And let's not forget, Caserio passed on All-Pro corner Sauce Gardner, when he decided to draft Stingley No. 3 overall in 2022. The Jets selected Gardner with the very next pick.

Be sure to watch the video above as we discuss the implications of these injuries for the Texans and Caserio's future in Houston.

If you enjoy the videos, subscribe to SportsMap Texans on YouTube for our latest content.

And listen to ESPN 97.5 and 92.5 FM for Houston's best sports talk.

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM