The battle was always going to be uphill. Justin Verlander entered the season needing 38 wins to fulfill his goal of reaching 300. At age 42, seeking to average 13 wins over three years or 10 wins over four, he was never exactly a good bet.
The odds against Verlander getting to 300 are even longer now that he is winless in his first 13 starts for the San Francisco Giants, the longest streak by a Giants pitcher since at least 1901. Of course, it’s the longest such streak. Any other pitcher to go winless in 13 straight likely would be out of the rotation.
Verlander, though, isn’t pitching horribly. His park- and league-adjusted ERA is only 9 percent below league average. He was disrupted by a strained right pec that kept him out from May 22 to June 18. And he firmly believes he is on the verge of a breakthrough.
“I feel like I kind of found something mechanically,” Verlander said Wednesday. “I’m hopeful it’s going to allow me to pitch the way I feel I still can. I’m still throwing 94-95 pretty consistently. I know that’s good enough to have success. I just need to find a way to make it click. That’s what I’ve been searching for.”
Is he a veteran pitcher capable of making the necessary adjustments to succeed, or simply an aging one trying to talk himself into a last hurrah? Verlander’s numbers aren’t necessarily encouraging. His average fastball velocity of 93.9 mph is below league average. His strikeout rate is only in the 26th percentile. His expected 5.09 ERA is higher than his actual 4.26.
Getting to 300 wins that way won’t be easy, if it’s even possible at all. Verlander has faced some of the league’s worst teams — the Athletics, Colorado Rockies, Miami Marlins and Chicago White Sox — and still has not won (relievers also have blown four saves in his starts).
“I was hurt for a month. It’s still a small sample size. You can’t make a drastic decision based on that,” Verlander said.
“You just try to pitch better, and hopefully the wins will follow. You’ve got to be pretty objective. Yeah, I’ve given us some chances. But I need to pitch better. I do think I’m capable of that. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t still be playing.”
His next start is Friday in West Sacramento. He said he is capable of returning to an elite level, as long as he can lock in his mechanics. And he believes he is close to doing just that.
“I do, actually. I really do,” Verlander said. “I was starting to pitch a little bit better before I got hurt. Particularly right now, I feel like I’m on to something mechanically. I’ll find out here soon.”
Suárez mulls trade, All-Star possibility
Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez has been traded three times — from Detroit to Cincinnati in 2014, Cincinnati to Seattle in 2022 and Seattle to Arizona in 2023. But none of those deals happened in the middle of a season, and Suárez isn’t eager to experience that kind of upheaval.
Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen is on record as saying he wants to buy rather than sell, but his team is hovering around .500 and wracked by injuries. Suárez, one of several enticing potential free agents on the Arizona roster, understands what is at stake for the club over the next four weeks.
“I don’t want to leave Arizona,” he said. “Obviously, we know how the business of baseball is. But right now, I feel comfortable. I feel every time we win a game, we’ve got a chance to make the playoffs. Every time we lose, maybe something like that pops in my mind. Which is not good for me. I don’t want to get traded.”
Eugenio Suárez wants to stay in Arizona. (Chris Coduto / Getty Images)
Suárez and his wife, Génesis, have two daughters, Nicolle, 7, and Melanie, 4. He said his family “loves it” in Arizona, adding, “If I could choose one place to go, I would want to stay here.” But as he prepares for his 34th birthday on July 18, he said there have been no contract talks with the Diamondbacks, even though his 26 homers are tied with the Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber for fourth in the majors.
A more pressing matter for Suárez is the possibility of making his second All-Star team and first since 2018. He asked Génesis on Wednesday what she remembered about their experience in Washington, D.C., and she said not much. Suárez recalled walking the red carpet and getting interviewed about his outfit. He also recalled getting hit by a pitch and striking out in the game. But that was about it.
A second selection, he said, would be even more meaningful. Nicolle no longer is a baby. Melanie is old enough to partake in the excitement. And Suárez’s parents, Felipe and Rosalia, would attend the game. They were living in their native Venezuela in 2018, but now reside in the U.S.
“If I go, it’s going to feel like the first one, for sure,” Suárez said.
Adolis on the move?
The Texas Rangers continue to look like a seller, entering Wednesday with playoff odds of just 21 percent. So, considering the dearth of quality right-handed hitters likely to be available, right fielder Adolis García could emerge as a rather interesting trade candidate.
García, 32, is under club control through next season. As a two-time All-Star and MVP of the 2023 ALCS, he remains popular with the team’s fans. But in late May, the Rangers held him out of their lineup for three straight games to work on mechanical adjustments.
The pause seemed to help. García has been better since, batting .278 with a .761 OPS. But if he falters again in the second half, he conceivably could become a non-tender candidate. The Rangers would not be terribly thrilled about raising his salary from its current $10.5 million in arbitration if he produces a second straight sub-.700 OPS.
García remains a strong defender. As long as he continues producing offensively, his trade value would be greater at the deadline than during the offseason or at next year’s deadline. The Rangers, leading the majors in ERA, have left-hander Patrick Corbin and a number of potential free-agent relievers performing fairly well, but otherwise lack attractive players on expiring contracts.
Right-handed starter Tyler Mahle would have been intriguing, but he is shut down until after the deadline with shoulder soreness. Right-hander Jon Gray also could have fetched at least one prospect but has yet to begin a rehabilitation assignment while recovering from a fractured right forearm.
Bryan Reynolds, pros and cons
Kansas City Royals officials still recall the impact switch-hitter Kendrys Morales made on their 2015 World Series championship team. They offered another switch-hitter, outfielder Anthony Santander, a three-year, $66 million free-agent contract during the offseason. And, according to sources briefed on their thinking, they are interested in yet another, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds.
Talks between the clubs have yet to commence in earnest. The Royals, last in the majors in runs per game, are looking at a number of other hitters. But Reynolds, 30, could make particular sense for Kansas City, assuming he continues his recovery from a poor start.
Bryan Reynolds is trending the right direction after a slow start. (Justin Berl / Getty Images)
If Reynolds is still the above-average offensive player he was from 2021 to ’24, then he is underpaid relative to the free-agent market. But if he is not, the $74 million he is owed from 2026 to ’30 could become problematic rather quickly. His deal also includes a $2 million buyout on a $20 million club option for 2031.
Reynolds improved his .644 OPS in March/April to .732 in May and .772 in June. His defensive metrics are poor, and the Pirates’ expectations in a trade are an open question. But with so many teams starved for offense, Reynolds certainly should attract attention in the coming month.
Padres’ difficult search for a catcher
The San Diego Padres entered Wednesday ranked 26th in OPS at catcher. No matter how much they talk about how Elias Díaz and Martín Maldonado excel on the defensive side, they would like to upgrade offensively. But with whom?
The Athletics’ Shea Langeliers is eligible for arbitration this offseason for the first time. His agent is Scott Boras, who generally prefers his clients to establish their values on the open market. But the Athletics are not trading Langeliers, according to a source briefed on their plans.
The Atlanta Braves’ Sean Murphy is another catcher who is unlikely to move, even with the emergence of rookie Drake Baldwin and the injury to right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach intensifying the team’s gloom and doom.
Under president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos, the Braves almost always carry two quality catchers. And if they are going to trade Murphy, who is owed $45 million from 2026 to ’28 with a $15 million club option for ’29, they probably will wait until the offseason, when they can involve more clubs.
Think back to the Garrett Crochet sweepstakes at last year’s deadline. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies made offers in the final 24 hours that the Chicago White Sox considered attractive. The Boston Red Sox, the team that ultimately acquired Crochet in December, were not believed to be in the mix.
Getting back to the Padres, most teams with depth at catcher are reluctant to compromise it. The Baltimore Orioles just placed three catchers on the injured list in a span of 10 days. Once they are healthier, they could make Gary Sánchez available for a second stint in San Diego. Sánchez hit 19 homers and produced a .792 OPS for the Padres in 2023 after they claimed him on waivers from the New York Mets.
(Top photo of Justin Verlander pitching at Wrigley Field this season: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
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