Justin Verlander praises Mets’ analytics growth after $43,333,333 contract and messy trade to Houston

The New York Mets' decision to sign Justin Verlander did not go as planned. The $43.33 million contract was a bust, and the ace pitcher was traded at the deadline. After the trade, he made some comments about the team and their analytics- or lack thereof.

Verlander has been big in the analytics scene for a while, and he didn't believe the Mets had as good of a system as he was used to. Reports suggested that he was unhappy with Max Scherzer and with the team's analytics, and he was eventually traded.

Scherzer ended up back with the Houston Astros, who are one of the most analytically inclined teams in baseball. He was there last year and was traded there once more. He said on Baseball isn't Boring:

“I think the Astros have been on the forefront of analytics for a while so they had a headstart and I think the Mets are doing the right things to catch up. But you can’t replicate that time that’s lost. So they’re getting a lot of information. They ask me a lot of questions. It’s obviously different; just statistically, analytically time is valuable. You learn more with the more data you compile.”

He admitted that the Astros were among the pioneers, but he also praised the Mets for their growth in that department. This does confirm that it was, in his eyes, a lackluster department, but it seems as if he is giving them props for growing with the times.

Justin Verlander discusses analytics

Analytics have become huge in baseball, and many teams use them. Some teams, like the Astros or Tampa Bay Rays, use them religiously. Verlander discussed the topic further:

“It’s different information. If you’re talking about when I first went to the Astros, they had a lot more analytics than the Tigers at the time so I was inundated with new avenues to learn from. Like anything else, you filter through it and learn what you can from it and try not to be overwhelmed by it. I was very much looking for information so I was pleased to have it at my disposal.”