Justin Verlander tipped his cap to the Citi Field crowd as he walked off the mound with one out in the top of the sixth inning of a 5-2 win over Washington on Sunday.

Just like everyone else, Verlander was left to ponder whether it was his last start as a Met, especially after the trade of Max Scherzer to the Rangers in exchange for a minor leaguer became official.

“I was a bit surprised with that one,’’ Verlander said of the Scherzer trade following the victory, the 250th of the right-hander’s career.

Asked if it made him wonder about whether he could contend for a title in Queens, as he intended to do when he signed with the Mets in December, Verlander said, “Of course. How could you not think about it?”

And he left open the possibility of, like Scherzer, waiving his no trade clause if his goals don’t align with the Mets’, which he intends to find out before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

“It largely depends on how the organization views next year,’’ Verlander said. “Max [leaving] is a tough sign for trying to go back at it like [what] happened this year. I’m committed to trying to win a championship here, but if the organization decides that’s not exactly the direction that’s the best fit to go for next year — to go for it again — then I’m more open to it.”

But he wanted to speak to the front office before making up his mind about his future.

“Right now, there’s a lot of gray area and I can’t make a decision with a bunch of what-ifs,” Verlander said.

And with general manager Billy Eppler making clear earlier Sunday that the organization and owner Steve Cohen would not duplicate its free-agent spending from last offseason, a potential conversation among Verlander, Eppler and Cohen could leave Verlander in a similar position as the one Scherzer was in before he was traded.

“[Trading David Robertson] was a tough one, but I don’t know the circumstances,’’ Verlander said of losing Robertson, who was due to be a free agent following the season. “Max was supposed to be an integral part of this team next season. When you see that happen, you can’t help but think, ‘What’s in store for next year?’ We play this game to win and I want to win a championship. I want to have an opportunity to do so. It changes my opinion [about 2024] a little bit. It’s tough to see it happen.”

Verlander signed with the Mets as a free agent after a Cy Young season with the Astros last season and — like most of the rest of the roster — battled either injury or ineffectiveness for the first part of the season.

But Sunday continued what’s been a seven-start stretch in which the 40-year-old has been extremely effective and teams are interested in Verlander.

But as was the case with Scherzer, moving Verlander wouldn’t be easy, since he is owed another $43.3 million next season and has an attainable $35 million vesting option for 2025.

Prior to Sunday’s game, Eppler said he would “listen” on players, but declined to say whether Verlander was among the players he was listening on.

Speaking of next season, Eppler said, “It doesn’t mean we’re punting 2024. We’re gonna have a competitive team.”

That might not be the most compelling rallying cry for a player like Verlander, who hasn’t allowed more than one run in any of his past three starts.

His streak of improved performance began June 26 and continued Sunday.

In his last seven starts, Verlander has allowed just seven runs in 42 ¹/₃ ⅓ innings for an ERA of 1.49 after compiling an ERA of 4.50 in his first nine outings.

Verlander was one of several Mets who played Sunday who might end up elsewhere soon, including lefty Brooks Raley, who pitched a scoreless ninth inning for another save; Tommy Pham, who struck out as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning; and Mark Canha, who went 1-for-3 and played in both left field and right field.

“I’m shocked,’’ Verlander said of how the season has gone. “I don’t think anyone saw this coming. That’s why sports are great, though. We’re people and things don’t go according to plan sometimes.”