MLB Free Agency

Free-agent pitcher Justin Verlander held a workout on Monday, and both New York teams reportedly had an eye on the former Houston Astros ace.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Mets sent two scouts to see Verlander. He added that an executive from another team said the two-time Cy Young Award winner "looked good."

Sherman also said that the New York Yankees had a scout in attendance as Verlander's workout was held at a facility owned by Eric Cressey, the team's director of player health and performance.

Verlander hasn't pitched a full season since 2019, the last time he won the Cy Young. He pitched one game in 2020 before being shut down because of a forearm strain. The 38-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery in September of that year and he missed all of 2021 while recovering.

Verlander was reportedly among the 14 free agents to receive qualifying offers before Sunday night's deadline. The one-year qualifying contract would be worth $18.4 million. A team is entitled to draft pick compensation if a player rejects the offer and signs elsewhere.

When healthy, Verlander is one of the best pitchers in MLB. Two seasons ago, the right-hander led the league in innings pitched (223.0) and wins (21), had 300 strikeouts (12.2 per nine innings) and a 2.58 ERA. The eight-time All-Star helped lead the Astros to a World Series title in 2017, the first of his career, and another appearance in 2019.

A healthy Verlander would be a big boost to either New York team's pitching staff.

The Yankees lacked depth in their starting rotation last season. Gerrit Cole was the team's ace, but he fell apart late in the season, including in New York's loss to the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Game. Behind Cole, Yankees starters failed to perform consistently.

For the Mets, pairing Verlander with Jacob deGrom would give them one of the strongest duos in baseball. DeGrom was limited to 15 starts in 2021 because of elbow issues, but he had a 1.08 ERA and 146 strikeouts in 92 innings.

The Detroit Tigers reportedly have interest in Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, who's scheduled to become a free agent after the 2021 season.

Jon Heyman of the MLB Network reported Friday the Tigers could face competition from the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers, who'll all be in the market for a shortstop upgrade during the offseason.

Correa has been one of the league's most productive shortstops since making his debut with the Astros in 2015. His .835 OPS over the past seven years ranks sixth at the pivotal position, per FanGraphs.

The 27-year-old Puerto Rico native posted a career-low .709 OPS during the coronavirus-shortened 2020 campaign, but he's bounced back with an .843 OPS and 25 home runs across 146 games in 2021. He ranks third among all hitters in WAR (7.0), according to ESPN.

He played a key role in Houston (93-66) winning the AL West division title to secure a franchise-record fifth straight postseason berth.

"That sounds pretty special," Correa told reporters Thursday night.

In early September, the two-time All-Star confirmed he didn't want any contract talks during the season and expressed interest in re-signing with the Astros once the playoffs end.

"If they want to keep me here, I'll be happy to stay here. If they don't see me here long term, I'll go play for somebody else," Correa said. "That decision is out of my hands. The only thing that's in my hands is the way I perform on the field and the way I help my team win ballgames."

He'll have plenty of potential suitors if an extension isn't signed with Houston.

The Tigers make a lot of sense on paper. Heyman mentioned the connection to Detroit manager A.J. Hinch, who served the same role with the Astros from 2015 through 2019, and the club received mediocre production from the shortstop trio of Harold Castro, Niko Goodrum and Zack Short in 2021.

Meanwhile, the Yankees thought they had their shortstop of the future in Gleyber Torres, who crushed 38 homers in 2019. His numbers have plummeted over the past two years, however, including a .701 OPS and just nine long balls in 124 games this season. New York has shifted Gio Urshela to short for the time being as it attempts to secure a wild-card berth.

The Twins will have an opening at shortstop with the defensive-minded Andrelton Simmons also set to hit the open market, while the Rangers could move the versatile Isiah Kiner-Falefa to another position if they can land Correa to provide a much-needed boost to their offense.

Other clubs would likely get involved if Correa becomes available, but it wouldn't be a surprise if the Astros make one final push to re-sign him before he can hit the free-agent market.