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Here's why the Astros should think long and hard about trading for Justin Verlander

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The Astros need pitching, and Verlander may become available. Composite Getty Image.
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Sports fans are a nostalgic bunch. Take a look through social media posts. The debates are endless about what teams, players, eras, or what have you are the best or are better than others. The eventual “Mount Rushmore” posts will appear asking for the four best in any given category. You'll also see tons of posts and comments about what players they want to bring back to their franchises. Whenever players leave, via trade or free agency, and there's a chance for them to come back, fans will clamor for a reunion.

After last season's World Series win, people thought Jim Crane had to keep the entire band together. General Manager James Click was not retained, and ace of the pitching staff Justin Verlander signed with the Mets. Click was eventually replaced by Dana Brown. Verlander was replaced by other guys who were on the come up. Framber Valdez has stepped up as the new ace. Luis Garcia is out for the season. Jose Urquidy is trying to come back from injury. J.P. France has been a revelation. But have any of these guys truly replaced Verlander?

Simple answer: no. You don't “replace” a Verlander. You can only hope to fill his shoes enough that you don't trip over yourself walking in them. While the Astros have done an admirable job, his spot in the rotation has been missed. Injuries have compounded his absence. Garcia and Urquidy both went down early. While Hunter Brown and France have stepped up, they aren't the sure thing taking the bump every five or six days. Verlander is a future Hall of Famer, who at 40 years old, is still on top of his game.

So is a reunion even possible? I'd say yes. The Mets are currently almost 20 games back in their division race and almost 10 back in the Wildcard race. While they've held on as long as they could, the smoke signals have been sent about them being sellers at the deadline. The Astros are fighting to take over their division and are in control of a Wildcard spot. The price tag for Verlander may not be as bad as one would think. The Mets would have to agree to pay some of his remaining salary, but the Astros wouldn't necessarily have to give up too many high level pieces. The more the Mets want to get rid of most of his salary, the less they may ask for in return.

This reunion makes sense for both sides. The Astros need another arm to help secure their fifth World Series appearance in seven years. Verlander wants the best chance to win and continue to cement his legacy, while chasing some career milestones. Crane wanted Verlander back after last season, but the price tag was too much for him. Could a lower salary and a moderate trade package make a reunion more likely for Crane? I think so. It's a matter of what it'll cost. He has Brown manning the ship now. Brown is the kind of guy that'll make the smart move (like re-signing young guys early to team friendly deals), but he was Crane's pick as Click's replacement because he will make the splash deal like Crane wants. Could this be his first splash deal? Or will Verlander have to rot in the Big Apple, knowing he picked the wrong team?

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The Texans will look to get back on track this Sunday against the Colts. Composite Getty Image.

C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are looking for answers after their passing game couldn’t get going in a loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Houston’s passing attack had been a strength all season, and the Texans ranked fifth in yards passing per game through their first six games. But on Sunday at Lambeau Field, Stroud was limited to a career-low 86 yards in the 24-22 loss, which snapped a three-game winning streak.

Stroud was 10 of 21 and didn’t have a touchdown pass for the first time this season. The second-year player was under duress for much of the day and was sacked four times and hit seven other times.

“We have to go back to the drawing board and see what those issues were,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “As we watch the film, we’ll see what happened, starting for me the communication and just guys being on the details of the job.”

The Texans scored a season-high 41 points in a win over New England a week earlier in which Stroud threw a season-best three touchdown passes despite being without star receiver Nico Collins.

They were unable to replicate that success Sunday with Collins out for the second of at least four games after a hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve.

Stefon Diggs led the team with five receptions against the Packers, but they only amounted to 23 yards. Tank Dell, who the Texans expected to step up with Collins out, was targeted four times but didn’t have a catch.

Stroud discussed the importance of getting Dell more involved in the offense.

“We have to find a way to try and get him the rock early and often and then go from there,” he said. “It has to be a focus for us, not only just him, but the whole offense clicking early. That is really my job to get the ball out on time and to where it is supposed to go. So yeah, that definitely has to be fixed.”

Ryans spoke about his confidence is getting Dell going.

What's working

The Texans have forced seven turnovers combined in their last two games after they hadn’t caused any in their previous three games.

Houston scored 16 points off three turnovers Sunday. The Texans had two interceptions and recovered a fumble on a punt. In their win over the Patriots, they scored 17 points off a season-high four turnovers.

What needs help

The Texans won’t get to where they want to be this season if Stroud doesn’t get back on track. Before Sunday, last year’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year was averaging more than 262 yards passing a game, giving the team confidence that the problems in the passing game are fixable.

Ryans knows the line must give Stroud more time to throw and said the coaching staff will focus on improving in that area this week.

Stock up

RB Joe Mixon continued to shine Sunday in his second game back after missing three games with an ankle injury. Mixon, who is in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati, had 25 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns against Green Bay.

Mixon is confident the Texans will rebound this week if they quit making mistakes.

“Does it look I’m worried? I’m not worried at all,” he said. “Like I said, we got a ... good football team. At the end of the day, we are our own worst enemy.”

Stock down

Dell was unable to help Stroud get the passing game going. The second-year player had a solid rookie season with 709 yards receiving and seven touchdowns in 11 games before breaking his leg. But he hasn’t been able to build on that success this year and has just 194 yards receiving with one score in six games.

Injuries

LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee), LB Henry To’oTo’o (concussion), CB Kamari Lassiter (shoulder) and S Jimmie Ward (groin) all missed Sunday’s game and it’s unclear if any of these starters can return this week.

Key number

3 — Safety Calen Bullock had his third interception Sunday to tie Dunta Robinson and Jumal Rolle for most interceptions by a rookie in franchise history through the first seven games. He leads NFL rookies in interceptions this season and is tied for third-most among all players.

Next steps

The AFC South-leading Texans (5-2) return to division play Sunday when they host the second-place Colts (4-3), who have won two in a row and four of five.

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