Astros hope second verse is same as first with JV

This story was excerpted from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Astros third baseman Alex Bregman said acquiring Justin Verlander on Tuesday had him feeling like it was Opening Day.

“My body feels brand new,” he said with a smile.

Veteran catcher Martín Maldonado said bringing back Verlander is exactly what the Astros needed.

“We know what kind player he is, what kind of pitcher he is, what kind of teammate he is,” Maldonado said. “He’s been here enough to have a feel for this team, feel for the city, and to be able to get a Hall of Famer back is always amazing.”

And second baseman Jose Altuve reiterated a version of his famous line about Verlander from the 2017 playoffs that wound up emblazoned on T-shirts.

“I love him,” he said.

If three of the veteran clubhouse leaders are in lockstep about the Astros bringing back Verlander in a blockbuster trade with the Mets, that’s all you need to know about how well the deal was received at Minute Maid Park. Bregman, Altuve, Verlander and pitcher Lance McCullers Jr., who’s injured, are the only members of the team who won rings in 2017 and 2022.

And the return of Verlander -- and relief pitcher Kendall Graveman last week -- have the Astros thinking about a repeat World Series title, which could cement the era as a dynasty in Houston.

Getting the band back together -- at least some of it, anyway -- shot a bolt of energy through the clubhouse. The Rangers, who the Astros have been chasing all year, had acquired Max Scherzer from the Mets and Jordan Montgomery from the Cardinals in the days leading up to the Trade Deadline. Astros players wouldn’t say it out loud, but they wanted a deal of their own.

Bregman and Maldonado had been in touch with Verlander leading up to Tuesday and both received jubilant text messages when the deal was done.

“I think it’s definitely going to provide a huge boost, not only energy-wise, but to be able to have a guy like him in here who’s been in here before,” Bregman said. “We know how much he brings, not only to the mound, but the clubhouse. It’s big-time.”

When the Astros acquired Verlander from the Tigers in 2017, the trade provided a lift on the field and in the clubhouse. The Astros had suffered a poor August on the field and the city was reeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. The team and the city rallied around Verlander, who went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five starts in the regular season, was the MVP of the ALCS and helped the Astros win their first World Series.

This year’s team has faced its own adversity: losing three starting pitchers to injury within the first month of the season and being without slugger Yordan Alvarez and Altuve for much of the first half of the season with oblique injuries. The fact the Astros began Wednesday a half-game behind the Rangers is remarkable, and Verlander could be the boost to push them back to first place.

“Justin Verlander, the name speaks for itself -- what he’s done in the game and how great he’s been,” said shortstop Jeremy Peña, last year’s World Series Most Valuable Player. “Even last year, he was so big for us. We’re excited to have him back.”

Peña called Verlander a leader in the clubhouse and someone many players look up to. He’s expected to join the team this weekend in New York -- just in time for a push to the postseason.

“We know we have the team to compete and have a special year, and to add Justin Verlander on top of that it’s a great feeling,” he said. “We’re ready for him, ready to welcome him back and ready to get to work.”