'Likely' front-runner for Justin Verlander emerges amid trade buzz

At 40 years old, Justin Verlander may still be triggering an earthquake at this year’s trade deadline.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported Thursday that there is a growing belief in the industry that the veteran righty Verlander will be traded by the New York Mets ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline. Feinsand even goes so far as to name one specific team as the “likely” front-runner for Verlander — the Texas Rangers.

On the heels of their MLB-best offense, the Rangers look like a legitimate World Series contender this season. But they are still a mere two games ahead of the defending champion Houston Astros for the AL West division lead and likely need more reinforcements. Starting pitching is also a particular area of concern with Jacob deGrom out for the season (and foreseeably much of next season as well) after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

The two-time Cy Young winner Verlander is in his first season with the Mets after signing a two-year, $86.7 million contract in the winter. But the Mets are a massively disappointing 47-54 this year (despite a league-high $348 million payroll) and may now have to change timelines on the fly as a result.

Verlander, who is 5-5 with a 3.24 ERA this season, was recently mentioned in connection with a contender in the National League. But with only a few days left before the trade-deadline buzzer, the Rangers appear to be making their move (albeit one that would be contingent on Verlander waiving his full no-trade clause).