Welcome back, JV! Astros strike deal to acquire ace Justin Verlander from New York Mets

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Justin Verlander is coming back to Space City.

Verlander, who left the Houston Astros in free agency this past offseason after winning his second World Series championship with the club, is heading back to the team in a trade, ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported and the team later confirmed.

With just a little over three hours left until the MLB Trade Deadline at 5 p.m. CT, the Astros made the move to bring back their former ace in a swap with Verlander's incumbent team, the New York Mets.

"The Houston Astros have a deal in place to acquire ace Justin Verlander from the New York Mets, sources familiar with the agreement tell ESPN," Passan tweeted.

The Astros confirmed Passan's reporting that they will send two prospects to the Mets: outfielders Drew Gilbert, 22, and Ryan Clifford, 20.

Gilbert is rated as the Astros' best prospect by MLB.com, while Clifford, an 11th-round draft pick last year, is ranked fourth in Houston's system after an impressive stint in High-A.

Team owner Jim Crane told The Associated Press he was willing to make the reunion happen.

"(General manager) Dana (Brown) and his team worked on it hard," Crane told the AP. "After we looked at the numbers - it's always tough to give up prospects, but I think they determined that it was the right move. We needed starting pitching. He's been throwing well. And I think the other factor is they ate a lot of the contract. So it wasn't a really hard decision. It was just would we give up enough prospects?"

Verlander, 40, signed a two-year, $86.6 million deal with the Mets in the offseason, reuniting with his former Detroit Tigers teammate, Max Scherzer, who last week was traded to the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.

Crane said the Mets are sending roughly $54 million to Houston to help pay off Verlander's contract. The two-year deal with the Mets last December includes a vesting option for 2025 at $35 million.

JV is expected to return to a starting rotation that has been challenged with two key season-ending injuries to Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr.

The Astros host the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night for the second of three games. Houston are in position to leap-frog the Rangers for first place in the division with a win.

Tuesday's blockbuster is reminiscent of the first time the Astros picked up Verlander in 2017, months before the team won its first World Series championship under questionable means.

Ahead of the trade, the club announced it claimed pitcher Jake Cousins off Milwaukee's waivers and optioned him to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. In addition, Houston options pitcher Brandon Bielak to its Triple-A club and recalled left-handed hurler Matt Gage to the main roster.

Left-handed pitcher Blake Taylor and infielder Joe Perez were designated for assignment.

ESPN and The Associated Press contributed to this report.