Less than eight months after signing with the Mets, Justin Verlander’s tenure in Queens has come to an end.

The Mets are trading Verlander, who has agreed to waive his no-trade clause, to the Houston Astros.

New York is also paying a combined $35 million of Verlander’s salary for the next two seasons and would pay half of his $35 million salary in 2025 if his option vests. In all, they’re paying as much as $52.5 million of the nearly $93 million that could still be paid out on his deal.

In exchange, the Mets are receiving Astros top prospect Drew Gilbert, a 22-year-old outfielder currently in Double-A, and Houston's No. 4 prospect, outfielder Ryan Clifford.

Gilbert, who bats and throws left-handed, ranks as baseball's No. 68 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

Clifford, also a left-handed hitting outfielder, is just 20 years old and was playing for the Astros at the High-A level.

Prior to the trade of Max Scherzer, those around Verlander thought the veteran would not waive his no-trade clause for any deal. But things changed once Scherzer was dealt to Texas.

Signed to a two-year, $86 million deal this offseason, Verlander was brought in with one goal in mind: winning the World Series. But his Mets’ tenure got off to a strange start. Not long before first pitch on Opening Day, the Mets announced that Verlander had been put on the injured list due to a teres major strain.

The 40-year-old went on to make his season debut against Detroit on May 4, but he showed some signs of rust out of the gates, allowing four earned runs or more in four of his first nine starts. Things started to turn around for Verlander in late June and into July, as he posted a five-game stretch where he allowed just six earned runs in 31.0 innings (1.74 ERA).

But with the Mets slipping further and further in the NL playoff picture, Steve Cohen, Billy Eppler and the front office decided the best course for the team was to be sellers at the deadline, and now the Mets’ biggest acquisition from the offseason will pitch the rest of 2023 in a different uniform.

In all, Verlander made 16 starts in a Mets uniform, pitching to a 3.15 ERA, 1.145 WHIP, and 81 strikeouts.