The Mets officially signed on to offer another $25 million on over Verlander’s $43 million.

No one would have predicted a year ago at this time that the Mets would trade [Justin] Verlander and [Max] Scherzer,” Rosenthal wrote. “Who knows? If the Astros fail to rebound from their 7-16 start, maybe the Mets could get Verlander back.”

There is a lot of baseball still to play and the Astros turning things around and getting back into playoff contention is very possible. However, the idea does make sense. After trading him to Houston last July, the Mets agreed to pay $25 million of Verlander’s $43 million salary in 2024. As well as half of the $35 million 2025 vested year so they could land top prospect Drew Gilbert.