DETROIT -- Justin Verlander says he's keeping his focus here, on pitching for the Tigers, not thinking about where he might be pitching a month from now. However, as the Tigers continue to struggle to find traction toward postseason contention, the attention around baseball is quickly turning toward the possibility that he'll be pitching somewhere else by the end of July.
"It's something that's mentioned, and I'd say it's in the background," Verlander said after Sunday's loss to the Indians. "My focus is here and now. I don't focus on that. If I need to, I'm sure [general manager] Al [Avila] will come talk to me about it."
The Cubs have inquired to the Tigers about Verlander and catcher Alex Avila, sources told MLB.com's Jon Morosi. Other teams are likely to do the same as the non-waiver Trade Deadline nears and more clubs weigh their chances and the potential value of adding a veteran starter.
"I mean, this is baseball. It's a business," Verlander said. "Nothing shocks you."
Verlander has two more guaranteed seasons on his contract, at $28 million per season, but he also has a $22 million option for 2020 that kicks in if he's among the top five finishers in Cy Young Award voting in '19. As a player with 10 Major League seasons under his belt -- all with one team -- Verlander has full no-trade rights. Often, if a player with a full no-trade clause agrees to a deal, he'll ask for a team to pick up such an option year as a condition for his acceptance.
That would add up to a $78 million commitment over the next three seasons, a heavy long-term commitment for what teams might see as a short-term help. The question at hand would be whether the Tigers would take on money to facilitate a deal. The team's approach since last offseason has been against that.
"If there's a decision to be made, then [Avila] and I will talk about that," Verlander said. "I'm not letting anything other than pitching and playing for the Detroit Tigers get in my mind until or if anything happens."
The Tigers are caught in the conundrum of needing both payroll relief and prospect help. Their impetus to get younger and focus on player development stems in part from a payroll that registered at $199 million for luxury tax purposes in 2016 and is on track for a similar amount this season. Their luxury tax penalty would be greater as a "repeat offender."
At the same time, Al Avila knows the Tigers need to restock their farm system to make a player development focus work without a long rebuilding process. Detroit's lone All-Star this year, Michael Fulmer, was the result of the Deadline deals Dave Dombrowski made two years ago to replenish the Minor Leagues.
Verlander has been a Tiger since 2006 and a part of the organization since Detroit made him the second overall pick of the '04 Draft. If the Tigers don't win a World Series anytime soon, Verlander and Jose Cabrera -- the two superstars of the era -- will likely go down as key parts of the late Mike Ilitch's legacy as Tigers owner. If Avila is going to part with one of those stars, he'll want the return package to the accelerate the restocking process.