New York Mets ace Justin Verlander is at the top of every contender's list as the trade deadline rapidly nears, and rumors are swirling if he will waive his no-trade clause for any team besides the Los Angeles Dodgers.

There are several teams in the mix to fight for Verlander as the Mets continue to sell their assets, and they will be looking for a strong prospect return, according to NY Post reporter Jon Heyman.

“Obviously the Mets are doing big stuff, and as I said, Verlander is the key guy. Teams with the prospects could easily get him. The Diamondbacks are a team with prospects, the Reds and Orioles have very big prospect pools as well,” Heyman explained.

He continued to elaborate on some of the reasons why the 40-year-old would consider teams other than the Dodgers, who Verlander has specified as a top target.

“Verlander is from Virginia, so the Orioles would make some sense. I think he would be open to going some different places, it doesn't have to be LA,” Heyman said.

Verlander does have some experience in this position, as the last time he was on the trading block he had to decide if he wanted to end up anywhere besides his top two teams.

“Last time he was on the market, he wanted to go to LA or the Cubs, and ended up getting traded to the Astros. He went to Houston and was very happy about it,” Heyman finished.

The San Diego Padres are also rumored to be in the running, per MLB reporter Michael Marino. The Padres are only a game up on the Mets in the NL wildcard race, but haven’t quite given up hope yet. While the Mets are full sellers and began moving assets as early as last Thursday, the Padres haven’t made a firm position and could make a late play at Verlander.

It remains to be seen where Verlander will end up, but every passing moment is leaning towards him getting traded away ahead of the deadline.