Looking back, it’s pretty clear the Justin Verlander trade has been a beneficial one for the Houston Astros.
On the night of Aug. 31, 2017, the Astros defeated the Rangers, while playing on neutral ground in Florida due to Hurricane Harvey, to push their lead in the AL West to 11.5 games. They were already a championship contender, their multiyear plan to stock up on young talent and use analytics to their greatest extent coming to fruition.
It was time to finish their work.
Justin Verlander trade timeline
The deal came at the last minute, figuratively and almost literally, of the August trade deadline.