Mets' Justin Verlander had good reason to decline World Baseball Classic invitation

Team USA manager Mark DeRosa has explained why New York Mets ace Justin Verlander declined an invitation to pitch in this year's World Baseball Classic.

"We reached out to Justin Verlander personally," DeRosa said during an appearance on "The Show: A New York Post Baseball Podcast," as shared by Logan Mullen of Audacy. "He was like, 'Mark, I’m coming off of Tommy John, I just pitched deep into the World Series, it would be asking my body an awful lot to ramp up this quick.' So, there are some guys where you totally understood why they didn’t want to do it."

Verlander made one start during the pandemic-shortened 2020 MLB season before he underwent Tommy John surgery in the fall of that year. He didn't pitch at all during the 2021 campaign but then earned the third Cy Young Award of his Hall of Fame career en route to helping the Houston Astros win the World Series last year. 

Per ESPN stats, Verlander finished the 2022 regular season second among all pitchers with 18 wins and first among eligible starters with a 1.75 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. In December, he agreed to a two-year, $86.7 million deal with the Mets that includes a vesting third-year option reportedly worth $35 million. 

Verlander suggested ahead of Christmas he could continue pitching at the highest level until he turns 45. He will celebrate his 40th birthday next week and understandably doesn't want to put any extra stress on his arm ahead of his first season with the Mets. 

Along with Verlander, Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo also passed on taking part in the World Baseball Classic. Nimmo signed an eight-year contract reportedly worth $162 million to remain with the Mets this offseason and said Monday he didn't want to do anything this winter or spring that is "counterproductive" to the goal of winning a World Series.