Justin Verlander's former teammate heaps praise on the ace after he left for the New York Mets: "He's gotta be the best pitcher of our generation"
Justin Verlander has left the Houston Astros after over four seasons, two World Series rings and two Cy Young awards.
He left an impact on the team in terms of success- it's very possible they don't win those World Series titles and have the success they did without him.
He also left an impact on his teammates. The Astros have a real shot at repeating and their ace would help a lot to that end, but he opted to flee for more money from the New York Mets.
A lot of times, that would be offputting to players he left behind, but that is far from the case with longtime Houston pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.
Lance McCullers on Justin Verlander:
"I think he's gotta be the best pitcher of our generation...we wish him nothing but the best, maybe we'll see him in the World Series" https://t.co/2JjfgUgN7u
McCullers heaped praise on his former teammate, saying:
"He's a special pitcher. I think he's probably the best pitcher that I've seen. I think he's gotta be the best pitcher of our generation, our era. What he's been able to accomplish, I think the longevity of it is what amazes me so much."
He continued:
"His ability to reinvent himself when he needs to and kind of stay with the times and still be dominant. We thank Justin for what he's done for us as a team and an organization and as a city. We wish him nothing but the best, maybe we'll see him in the World Series."
There is a very real shot that McCullers does see his former teammate in next year's World Series. With all the free agency moves being done, it's hard to put any team above Houston in the American League.
In the National League, the Mets have been spending without abandon, giving Verlander over $40 million. They are going for it all and they currently field a roster capable of getting there.
Without Justin Verlander, who will be the Astros ace?
Verlander has held down the Houston rotation for most of the last five years, but now they'll need a new ace. Fortunately, they have always had one of the deepest rotations in baseball.
Framber Valdez set records in 2022, so he'll probably be the ace. McCullers, Jose Urquidy, Cristian Javier and others will slide in behind him.
The Astros could sign an ace like Carlos Rodon, too. The offseason is still young.