How Yankees would be different if Justin Verlander joined them in 2017 trade

Posted May 29, 2018 at 06:05 AM | Updated May 29, 2018 at 06:34 AM

houston-astros-v-new-york-yankees-7606269939541ee6.jpg

Elsa | Getty Images

Randy Miler | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

NEW YORK — It’s hard not wondering ‘what if’ every time Houston Astros ace Justin Verlander manhandles the Yankees' great offense.

This ‘what if’ thought returned on Memorial Day afternoon at Yankee Stadium when Verlander was limiting the Yankees to Greg Bird’s seventh-inning leadoff homer in his 6 2/3-inning, one-run outing that highlighted a 5-1 Astros victory.

It was there on May 1 in Houston when Verlander was even more lights-out pitching a three-hitter and striking out 14 over eight shutout innings in a no-decision.

And it most definitely was there last October when Verlander was an easy pick for ALCS MVP after holding the Yankees to one run in 16 innings in winning Game 2 and Game 6 in a series that went seven.

What if ...

Just for the fun of it, let’s pretend the Detroit Tigers traded Verlander to the Yankees instead of the Houston Astros for prospects last Aug. 31.

Let’s also pretend the Tigers still agreed to pay $17.4 million of the $65.3 million that was remaining at the time on Verlander’s seven-year, $180-million contract … $1.356 million of the remaining $9.33 million last year, then $8 million of the $28 million owed for 2018 and $8 million of the $28 million owed for 2019.

And we’re also going to pretend Verlander still agreed to waive his $22 million vesting option for 2020 to retain full no-trade protection.

This definitely could have happened if Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner had allowed GM Brian Cashman to take on $47.9 million of salary for Verlander … $7.9 million last year, $20 million this year and $20 million next year.

Looking back, that seems cheap for what Verlander has given the Astros, but this definitely was a roll of the dice at the time. The six-time All-Star was 34 and a good-but-not-great 10-8 with a 3.82 ERA for Detroit last year before going 12-2 with a 1.09 ERA in his first 17 starts with the Astros (2017-18) plus 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA in six postseason outings last fall.

The Yankees definitely had the goods to get Verlander, too, as their farm system is better and deeper than Houston's.

If only Steinbrenner had not prevented this deal from being a possibility. And, yes, according to a team exec, Cashman’s hands were tied here because Steinbrenner has been insisting for more than a year that the Yankees’ 2018 payroll must be under the $197-million luxury tax threshold so that the franchise’s luxury tax clock can be reset for 2019.

So ... what if?

Here's how the Yankees could be different had Verlander joined them last Aug. 31.

John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Yankees win World Series

We’ll start with the obvious one: If the Yanks get Verlander last year, they’re the reigning champs instead of Houston.

At the very least, they’re the AL champions because Verlander was the biggest reason Houston beat the Yanks in the last year’s ALCS.

With Verlander, the Yankees probably beat the Dodgers in the World Series, too.

The New York Yankees host the Tampa Bay Rays

John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Girardi still manager?

Maybe Joe Girardi isn’t pushed out of the manager seat if the Yankees win it all in 2017.

The guess here is Yankees GM Brian Cashman made up his mind before last October that he was making a change no matter what after 10 seasons of Girardi, but don’t you think it would have been a lot harder to cut ties after they traveled down Broadway together in a World Series parade?

Let's block ads! (Why?)