Or, how about we keep them both and allow the MVP trophy to be won by anyone?
In my view, a starting pitcher does have a huge impact on his team. I've heard the "not participating in 79% of the games" viewpoint, which has a certain amount of validity. The difference for me is how involved starting pitchers are during the other "21%" of games.
Verlander participated in
969 Plate Appearances during the season. Take the top batter in the AL (Pedroia) who participated in 731, or Bautista who participated in 655. There is a significant difference.
Taking fielding into account, Verlander had
50 chances to make a fielding play (Putouts + Assists + Errors), whereas Bautista had
333 chances, between outfield and 3b.
Taking Verlander's impact (969 + 50 = 1019) and Bautista's impact (655 + 333 = 988), we see that Verlander had more of an opportunity to make an impact.
(Note: Statistics can be used to prove anything.. the above shows that in spades)