Thu, Aug 31, 2017 at 11:58pm

ASTROS ACQUIRE ACE JUSTIN VERLANDER

The Houston Astros acquired pitcher Justin Verlander, a player to be named later and cash from the Detroit Tigers for pitcher Franklin Perez, outfielder Daz Cameron and catcher Jake Rogers.

What does it give the Houston Astros
Wow! The Astros had been linked to Verlander since the end of July, and they were finally able to complete the deal to land a true ace starter for the playoffs. The Tigers are reportedly paying as much as $10 million to cover part of Verlander's hefty salary, but Houston will still have to fork over plenty of money to their new vet. It will all be worth it if Verlander leads Houston back to the World Series.

What does it give the Detroit Tigers
This is a tremendous trade for Detroit, a team that has decided to strip it down completely and start over. Perez might be Detroit's future ace. He is a 19-year-old stud right-hander who has already looked good in Double-A ball. He figures to be the key to this trade for the Tigers. Cameron has the makings of a future, toolsy center-fielder, while Rogers is a defensive wiz behind the dish.

Fantasy impact
Verlander moves from a great pitchers' park to a great hitters' park in Houston, so fantasy leaguers should be a little concerned about that. His potential for wins is far greater with the Astros, however. Call it a wash in terms of his overall fantasy value for the rest of this season (and beyond). Perez's value goes the other way, as he could now get to the big leagues more quickly (and to a better pitchers' park). Cameron should now be on the fantasy radar, while Rogers is mostly a defensive catcher at this point (and not much of a future fantasy asset). The biggest loser in this deal is Mike Fiers, who figures to lose his spot in Houston's starting rotation.