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Justin Verlander and Pete Alonso recently attended a fundraiser with their wives where they had a great outing and enjoyed their time together. However, the players aren't having a great MLB season.
It just hasn't gone to plan in Verlander's debut campaign with the New York Mets. However, in his latest start, he pitched six innings of two-hit shutout ball with six strikeouts against the New York Yankees. Despite having a low strikeout rate of 7.69 per nine innings (K/9), his ERA has dropped to 3.24.
One of the issues players struggle with when their team isn't performing is that fans are quick to criticize every nuance of their life. As a general rule, fans don't want to see players doing much else than training when they aren't winning, and that is the case for the Mets.
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As the Mets are currently bottom in the NL East, fans were unhappy with Justin Verlander and Pete Alonso for going out with their wives. Here are some of their comments:
NY Mets are unlikely to trade Justin Verlander
Unless there is a very surprising sequence of events, the Mets are not trading Justin Verlander before the Aug. 1 deadline. Verlander has a no-trade clause, in which nothing can be done without his consent. He also owns a penthouse on Manhattan's Upper East Side with his wife Kate Upton.
Also, Verlander, who is 40 years old, is on a very large contract. He has a two-year deal with the Mets but makes $43.3 million annually. A $35 million vesting option for 2025 is triggered if he throws 140 innings in the upcoming season.
He will still be paid that amount in 2019, $43.3 million the following year, and perhaps $35 million in 2025. That's a lot of money for a club, especially for a 40-year-old who appears to declining. Even if the Mets cover half of the bill and owner Steve Cohen can afford it, it's still a lot of money for a team to take on.
