Commentary

Verlander ponders complex situation

ARLINGTON, Texas -- At his core, Justin Verlander is not complex.

Sure, there are the realities that have become embedded in the Detroit Tigers ace right-hander's personality: the baseball fame and the more famous fiancee, the mega millions salary and the life in the limelight, which can easily distract from the down-to-earth demeanor that is often visible inside the Tigers clubhouse.

But the Verlander that was shown after Tuesday night's 10-4 loss to the Texas Rangers, and the place he finds himself professionally these days, can only be described as complex. And at the heart of the matter is one of the things he cares about most: Winning.

Perhaps it was the absence of television cameras, which tend to keep his post-game comments guarded. On this night, he was only surrounded by a few familiar beat reporters inside the visitor's clubhouse at Globe Life Park.

Verlander lounged in his chair, legs crossed, and transitioned with ease from the game that just happened -- another Tigers loss, their ninth in the past 11 games -- to a trade that might take place in the next couple weeks, or over the winter, or never.

He acknowledged things are a little different these days and, by that, he meant a lot different. Verlander is not used to losing. For the duration of his Tigers career, save for a few years, the team has played meaningful baseball in the fall.

Verlander relayed the temporary thrill he felt a few days earlier while watching Justin Upton hit a walk-off home run, before coming to grips with the reality of the situation shortly thereafter: The Tigers are going nowhere this season.

"That was a huge moment and a really cool moment and we all celebrated and then we come in and say, 'Great game!' but for what? Like yeah, it looks good on the back of his bubble gum card," Verlander said, "but most of the time I've been here, when those moments happen, it means something more than just the moment. And the moments right now are just kind of fleeting, good moments or bad."

Verlander spoke of dreams he's had recently, about playing for this team or that team. The dreams revolve around the main reason he plays the game -- to win a World Series.

With another dog day of summer in the rear-view mirror, he talked with hints of optimism about the team's near future, mentioning quick turnarounds of other teams in baseball as he looked around the room at a core of players who could still win next year -- including Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler, Upton, Michael Fulmer and Jordan Zimmermann.

It was as if Verlander, so annoyed by the losing and sobered by the fact he could be facing an uncertain future in Detroit, used these few minutes to convince himself that the certainty of yesteryear could be captured once again.

It's far-fetched, to be sure. That he, or a few of the players he named, will be Tigers next season is uncertain. That, if they are, it's not likely they'll improve drastically. But players of Verlander's competitive nature are not wired that way.

"As long as I'm wearing the Old English D," he said, "in my mind, we're going to win."

Still, no matter how competitive Verlander is, he is not oblivious to the writing on the wall of an organization that is trending in the opposite direction of the goal several of its veteran players hope to achieve.

At 34 years old, the days are dwindling on those championship chances.

Verlander admitted it would be tough to be part of a full rebuild. Factually, he stated the trade speculation was easier to deal with because he controls his destiny with a full no-trade clause. Obviously, he said, such things are on his mind from time to time.

But although Verlander has been asked incessantly about these things for more than a month now, never before had he offered this kind of unprovoked glimpse into his mind, longing for that winning feeling whether it's here or elsewhere, a look into the complexity of his current situation.

Sports on 08/17/2017

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