Justin Verlander back with Astros after 'whirlwind' few days - ESPN

NEW YORK — The Houston Astros hat and T-shirt were familiar to Justin Verlander.

But the chaotic process that landed him at Yankee Stadium on Thursday was unlike anything the three-time Cy Young Award winner has experienced in an 18-year career.

«It was just a whirlwind, man,» Verlander said in his first full day back in uniform with the Astros, who acquired him from the New York Mets at Tuesday's trade deadline.

The Astros sent top prospects Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford to the Mets in exchange for Verlander, who went 61-19 with a 2.26 ERA while winning two of his Cy Young Awards and helping the Astros win two World Series crowns — including last year — from 2017 to 2022.

«It's exciting seeing all the guys again,» Verlander said. «It feels a little weird because it hasn't been that long, so it feels like you don't miss a beat and you're right back in the locker room. But on the other hand, there's this whole segment that happened. So here I am, still staying in my apartment in New York.

»It's a really odd feeling. Hard to explain."

The Mets also sent as much as $50 million to the Astros to help pay off Verlander's contract — the two-year deal worth a guaranteed $86.7 million he signed in December, weeks after the Astros won the World Series. Verlander's $35 million option for 2025 vests if he throws 140 innings in 2024.

«I don't think anybody saw this coming,» Verlander said. «You commit to a team and you commit to trying to win a championship there and that's your vision. You're all-in and then a few months later you're back with the team you were with the last season.»

Verlander is slated to make the first start of his second stint with the Astros on Saturday, which means he'll be making a third straight start in New