Justin Verlander responded to comments made against him on Monday night, giving his side of the story in response to an article written by Mike Puma of the New York Post back on August 12.

In the article, Puma wrote a paragraph reporting that a Met had called Verlander a diva and that he would often complain about the teams’ substandard analytics department.

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“Verlander and Scherzer had a strained relationship as Tigers teammates,” Puma wrote. “And a source said even as the pitchers worked toward harmony with the Mets, there was occasional discord. Verlander was a “diva,” according to this Met, causing Scherzer to grouse about his fellow three-time Cy Young award winner. Verlander often complained about the Mets’ analytics department, which he deemed inferior to the one that served him in Houston.

Verlander responded to the report on Twitter, stating that he enjoyed his time with his new and old Mets teammates.

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

The first part of Verlander’s tweet reiterated the statements he made in his introductory press conference after the trade deadline, where he stated that he had the utmost respect for the Mets organization and that he would give the organization an A+ from top to bottom.

However, in the second part of Verlander’s tweet, the future hall of fame defended himself against Puma’s report that he complained often to the analytics department, instead saying he was only giving constructive criticism.

“That being said, we all know the success of a team is made up of more than just the players on the field, everyone’s input is valuable. I’m sorry to hear that a staff member took offense to constructive criticism on how we could improve.”

While none of us know what was said between Verlander and the analytics staff, it is common knowledge that the Mets are behind in the analytics department. Steve Cohen has alluded to that very point throughout his tenure as Mets’ owner, even stating that the Mets just added a pitching lab this season. Meanwhile, the Astros organization is the complete opposite and is constantly getting rave reviews about their front office.

Something more intriguing about Puma’s article, which Verlander is disputing, is the mystery Met that has given quotes to the New York Post reporter. As of now, there are no leads or speculations as to who it is, but he made another accusatory comment about the former Met.

“Verlander, who was traded back to the Astros on Aug. 1, was largely detached from teammates,” the mystery Met told Puma. “According to the Met, (he) didn’t add to the team’s identity.”

While the hidden Met may not agree based on his comments, Verlander’s stats certainly indicate he added a lot to New York’s performance on the field. At the time of the trade, the 40-year-old was the Mets’ best starter in the rotation, registering a 3.15 ERA and 133 ERA+ in 16 starts, which led all Mets starters.

Despite the negative comments made by former teammates and the trainwreck of a season by the Mets, Verlander has been nothing short of professional while talking about his former organization. At the end of his Twitter post, Verlander wished the Mets the best and didn’t express any disdain towards his former team.

“Wishing nothing but best to the Mets moving forward.”