Guess who's back. Justin Verlander is now with the Houston Astros again, with the New York Mets sending him to his former team via a trade just before the 6 p.m. deadline on Tuesday. It's a great day not only for Astros fans but also for members of the team, including second baseman Jose Altuve and manager Dusty Baker.

“I love him,” Altuve said of Verlander when asked about the pitcher following the trade, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.

Baker, meanwhile, was just as ecstatic over the development, knowing that Verlander's return to Houston is going to give his team a big shot in the arm.

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In exchange for Justin Verlander, the Mets got the pair of  Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford from the Astros, who are in a tight race with the Texas Rangers in the American League West division.

Before parting ways with the Astros in 2022, Verlander spent five seasons with Houston, where he experienced a career revival. He twice won the World Series, came away with an American League Most Valuable Player Award, and got two Cy Young Awards during his first stint with the Astros, who will now get to savor his formidable pitching again.

During his short stint with the Mets, Justin Verlander appeared in 16 games and went 6-5 to go with a 3.15 ERA and 3.81 FIP. In what turned out to be his last start for New York, Verlander allowed just an earned run on five hits with five strikeouts in a 5-2 victory over the Washington Nationals at home last Sunday. He went 3-0 with only two earned runs across 19.1 innings through his last three starts for the Mets, who inked him to a two-year, $86.6 million contract last December.