Houston’s ace has been dealing with a shoulder injury throughout spring training. He didn’t face live hitters until Wednesday and is set to begin the season on the injured list. Entering his 19th season in MLB, Espada must manage Verlander’s workload and ensure he is healthy for a potential playoff run.

But alongside his work on the mound, some around the league believe Espada needs to watch out for Verlander’s mental side of the game. His character as a leader has been questioned. The Astros manager is focusing on the pitching however, debunking anyone who may have called out Verlander, via The New York’s Post The Show.

“JV has been great,” Espada said. “The whole reporting, I’ve seen that before, but I’ve never seen that out of JV. JV is a competitor. He wants to win. He’s a Hall of Famer. Every time he steps on the mound, I feel really good about our chances to win.”

“The celebrity and all that kind of stuff, I can’t speak to that,” Espada continued. “I have a lot of respect for what JV has done for this team, for this sport. I’m excited that he’s here, want to get him back on the mound. He makes everyone around him that much better.”

How Verlander became a ‘diva’

When Espada references reporting, he is talking about an August story in the New York Post by Mike Puma. In it, Puma reports that an anonymous New York Mets teammate of Verlander called the starting pitcher a “diva.”

He reportedly bashed New York’s analytics department, comparing it to the Astros and didn’t make an effort to build team chemistry. Overall, Verlander was described as “detached” from the Mets.

The right-hander ended up responding to the reporting later in the month, stating no ill will towards New York.

“I want to say that I have nothing but respect for the Mets organization, and I enjoyed connecting with all my teammates this season, new and old,” Verlander wrote on Twitter. “It truly was a wonderful group of people.”

“That being said, we all know the success of a team is made up of more than just players on the field, everyone’s input is valuable,” Verlander continued. “I’m sorry to hear that staff member took offense to constructive criticism on how we could improve. Wishing nothing but best to the Mets moving forward.”

Verlander’s star power

Both Verlander and Espada are looking to put the messy Mets situation behind them. While he spent most of it injured, the right-hander went through a full offseason with Houston rather than being traded there halfway through the season like he was in 2023. Upon his return, Espada is counting on Verlander to lead Houston’s rotation.

Throughout his MLB career, Verlander has proven he has no problem doing that. He holds a 257-141 record with a 3.24 ERA and a 3,342/925 K/BB ratio. He is a nine-time All-Star, a three-time Cy Young Award-winner, an MVP and a two-time World Series champion.

Despite his comments, Justin Verlander clearly didn’t have the cleanest break from the Mets, at least according to some inside the organization. However, back with the Astros, now the righty can focus solely on pitching and winning another World Series ring. Joe Espada is ecstatic to have a pitcher like Verlander in his first year as manager.

Diva or not, MLB won’t mind when Verlander is eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame.