At 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday night, the Tigers agreed to trade Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros.
"On behalf of the Detroit Tigers, we sincerely thank Justin Verlander for his remarkable 13 seasons of dedication to the organization," Tigers general manager Al Avila said in a statement.
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The Tigers have clearly entered a full rebuild, trading Verlander, J.D. Martinez, Alex Avila, Justin Wilson, and Justin Upton.
In one day, the Tigers shed $170 million in payroll, USA Today's Bob Nightengale noted.
"Justin has been the face of consistency over the course of his career, and a pillar for baseball in the City of Detroit. He is someone who I believe to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. We wish Justin all the best as he starts a new chapter in his illustrious career," Avila's statement read.
In return, the Tigers are getting Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron and Jake Rogers from Houston.
“We’re thrilled to get three great prospects from one of the highest ranked farm systems in baseball,” said Avila.
A deal was in place earlier in the night, but it was originally reported Verlander vetoed the deal. Chris McCosky of the Detroit News tweeted that, then said the reason was unclear. The Astros, he tweeted, may have gotten cold feet.
Since 2006, Verlander has emerged as the face of the Tigers organization. He won the AL MVP and Cy Young in 2011, compiled a 183-114 record in 13 seasons in Detroit, and recorded 2,373 strikeouts with a 3.49 ERA.
Verlander was a part of the Tigers teams that made it to the World Series in 2006 and 2012.
