Justin Verlander has cleared revocable trade waivers, according to a report from the Detroit Free Press on Friday, making him qualified to be traded to any club ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline in order to be eligible for a postseason roster. The Tigers have not confirmed the report.
Teams generally put players on revocable waivers at some point in August to gauge their market value and interest from other clubs for the upcoming offseason. MLB.com learned that the Tigers' ace was placed on revocable waivers on Wednesday, as was forecasted.
As is the case with Verlander -- who is owed approximately $65 million through 2019 -- players who clear waivers are typically those with hefty contracts, making it harder to trade them.
Verlander's contract is a significant factor as to why he wasn't dealt ahead of Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline. A handful of clubs reportedly wanted the Tigers to pay a portion of it, but Detroit -- with a throng of big-money contracts and seeking to reduce payroll to minimize the impact against the luxury tax -- was uninterested in doing so.
A postseason contender that doesn't want to empty its farm system could be tempted to trade for the 2011 American League Cy Young Award winner, though many clubs fitting that bill have already acquired rotational upgrades, such as the Dodgers (Yu Darvish) and Yankees (Sonny Gray and Jaime Garcia).
Verlander, 34, is 6-7 with a 4.29 ERA in 2017, and has a full no-trade clause as a 10-and-5 player, one with 10 years in the Majors and the past five with his current club.