Justin Verlander's name has been central to a lot of Major League Baseball trade gossip over the last several days. One of the more recent teams to be mentioned in connection with the Tigers' pitcher is the Los Angeles Dodgers. Recently, the Dodgers lost Clayton Kershaw to a back injury, one that will reportedly take him out for 4-6 weeks. Many see Verlander as a solution to the open spot in the Los Angeles rotation now, including Will Burchfield of CBS Detroit, a writer who thinks that Verlander would be a good fit in Los Angeles. However, in the buyers' and sellers' markets ahead of the trade deadline, Verlander looks like a big risk.

Not just temporary help

Verlander, according to Spotrac, is signed through the 2020 MLB season. In situations where teams are looking to buy a player ahead of the trade deadline, they are often looking for short-term help. However, taking on Verlander's contract means possibly keeping him for the remainder of this season and the next three. That might not sound bad, but here's the thing: that's nearly an $89M commitment (according to Spotrac). Furthermore, Verlander is getting into his mid-30s and he is not as bright of a light this season as he has been in the past.

The Starting Pitcher is 5-7, perhaps an unfair stat to emphasize too much. After all, pitchers can have their record affected by run support.

However, Verlander also has a 4.54 ERA and his WHIP is going sky-high this season. Currently, at 1.47 Verlander's WHIP is the highest it has been compared to any full season of his career. He has 55 walks through 20 starts, despite only giving up 57 in 34 starts in 2016.

Verlander could crush a team financially

It's a good time for Detroit to dump Verlander, but how much are they going to have to give up in terms of money to make it work?

He still has almost $11M left to be paid this season. Any team that takes him on will need to swindle a deal that gets creative with the accounting. But don't be surprised if Verlander is just a bust after possibly getting traded. From a statistical perspective, he is nowhere near the 16-9 pitcher that he was last season. His record should improve with a better team supporting him defensively and with runs.

But a career-high WHIP shouldn't be ignored with Verlander. He could be a very high-priced pitcher that doesn't return enough bang for the buck.

It all suggests that a Verlander deal promises to be complicated. He has a lot of money owed, he is signed for years to come, and he's not exactly an ace this season. Who takes the leap of faith and trades for Verlander, if anyone, remains to be seen. Who gets the better end of the deal is a matter that will be revealed with time, too.