Jacob deGrom

The Texas Rangers had a nightmare come true on Tuesday and the ramifications of it still loom large a day later.

Suffice to say, it's a big deal when a first-place team like the Rangers loses a pitcher like Jacob deGrom, he of the $185 million contract and two Cy Young Awards, to Tommy John surgery.

And in this case, it will be the ace right-hander's second time having the surgery.

Texas ace Jacob deGrom will have season-ending Tommy John surgery, cutting short his first season after the oft-injured right-hander signed a $185 million, five-year contract with the Rangers. https://t.co/WnJ77L4jJR pic.twitter.com/2LPjnB2K6o

— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) June 6, 2023

"Anytime you get told you're not gonna be able to be out there for a little while, it's tough," the 34-year-old told reporters. "I went through this before and know what it takes to get back, so that's the goal."

With deGrom due to be sidelined for the rest of 2023 and a large chunk of 2024, there are at least five major questions hanging in the air.

---

What Does This Mean for the Rangers?

Though there's no way to spin Tuesday's news as being good for the Rangers, it's not unreasonable to think they can actually withstand deGrom's absence.

After all, they haven't skipped a beat since he last pitched on April 28:

• With deGrom: 15-11, 3.62 ERA
• Without deGrom: 25-9, 3.63 ERA

Setting aside their league-best offense, this is naturally a testament to the Rangers' pitching depth outside of deGrom. Their rotation especially has been terrific to the tune of a 3.19 ERA.

There are nonetheless still some outstanding durability question marks hanging over Texas' rotation. Dane Dunning is the only current member who's younger than 30, and he's likewise a Tommy John survivor alongside Martín Pérez, Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi, who's had the procedure twice.

So, while the Rangers don't need to rush anything, deGrom's injury would figure to make them that much more willing to shop for starting pitching ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

---

What Does This Mean for the AL West?

As hot as the Rangers have been, their lead in the American League West only stands at a modest 4.5 games.

With the Los Angeles Angels (32-30) and Seattle Mariners (30-30) also still lingering in the background, the defending World Series champion Houston Astros have prevented the Rangers from opening up a big lead by winning 19 of their last 26 games. In FanGraphs' estimation, they remain the favorites to claim the AL West title.

And whereas the Rangers' eventual search for outside help is strictly theoretical for now, Houston general manager Dana Brown has already stated his intent to be aggressive.

If it comes down to prospects, the Rangers will have the edge over the Astros in a bidding war for starting pitching. Yet, payroll flexibility could be a different story.

The Astros are about $15 million shy of the $233 million luxury tax threshold, compared to about $10 million for the Rangers.

---

What Does This Mean for Jacob deGrom?

As for deGrom himself, he still has four years left on his contract and he intends to be back before Year 2 is over.

deGrom through tears: "This stinks. It's not ideal. But at least we know what it is now. I want to get it fixed and will set a goal to be back before the end of next year.:"

He will undergo surgery next week

— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) June 6, 2023

As deGrom pointed out, he's already come back from Tommy John surgery once.

And if not to his own, he can look to Eovaldi's and Justin Verlander's stories for inspiration. The former's best years have come since he had his second Tommy John surgery in 2016, while the latter enjoyed maybe the best Tommy John comeback ever as a 39-year-old last year.

Speaking realistically, though, the circumstances don't align.

Eovaldi was still only 26 when he had his second surgery, while the one Verlander had in 2020 was his first. As deGrom is almost 13 years removed from his first surgery as a 22-year-old in 2010, Jon Roegele's Tommy John database doesn't exactly spit out relevant comps for what he's up against.

There's little reason to think deGrom won't pitch again, period. Whether the triple-digit heat, nasty slider and pinpoint command that made him such a dominant force over the last six years will still be there is a much tougher question to answer.

If they're not, he'll be hard-pressed to add anything substantial to a Hall of Fame resume that was formerly trending wonderfully but now looks insufficient. The Jaffe WAR Score System, for example, doesn't even rate him as a top-100 pitcher of all time.

---

Is This the Pitch Timer's Fault?

Another seemingly fair question is whether deGrom's downfall is somehow owed to the pitch timer. After all, it's no secret that its debut has coincided with a rush of pitching injuries.

It is, however, never a good idea to jump to conclusions. And especially not this one.

DeGrom was a fast worker even before the pitch timer came to MLB, which is to say nothing of how the best predictor of future injuries is past injuries. Even before Tuesday, he had had more than his fair share of those in recent years:

Jacob deGrom’s injury history, 2021-2023

5/4/21 Side
6/11/21 Elbow
6/16/21 Shoulder
7/15/21 Forearm
4/7/22 Shoulder
4/16/23 Wrist
4/28/23 Elbow
6/6/23 Tommy John

Since the start of 2021, he has made just 32 starts in 886 days. pic.twitter.com/g86JNf8gUN

— Will (@MLBMetrics) June 6, 2023

So, while nobody can say for certain that the pitch timer didn't have a hand in deGrom's latest injury scare, to assign sole blame misses the mark.

---

What Does This Mean for Big-Money Pitchers?

In addition to deGrom, Verlander (2 years, $86.7 million), Carlos Rodón (6 years, $162 million), Taijuan Walker (4 years, $72 million) and Jameson Taillon (4 years, $68 million) have also gotten off to rough starts after signing big deals in free agency this past winter.

Expand the scope even further, and it's hard not to notice that other big-money pitchers who have fallen on hard times since signing in recent years include Stephen Strasburg (7 years, $245 million), Chris Sale (5 years, $145 million), Patrick Corbin (6 years, $140 million), Robbie Ray (5 years, $115 million) and even Max Scherzer (3 years, $130 million).

Pitchers simply have many ways of breaking down. And as such, especially rich deals for pitchers have always been risky. There's nonetheless a creeping sense that things are getting worse, and that it may just be a matter of time before the big pitcher contract goes extinct.

Yet this is what they call catastrophizing.

As easy as it is to dwell on the failures, success stories such as Scherzer's first big contract with the Washington Nationals, both of Zack Greinke's nine-figure free-agent deals and the ongoing pacts involving Gerrit Cole, Kevin Gausman and Zack Wheeler prove that scoring on a big-money pitcher isn't altogether impossible and that it can be worth it when it happens.

Further, there's a sense within baseball that the aging curve might actually be changing in favor of older players. That was indeed quite evident with older pitchers just last year, as those aged 34 and older enjoyed their highest fWAR output in a decade.

In other words, what's happening with deGrom and other similarly expensive pitchers might not be the beginning of the end of an era so much as a rough patch.

---

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.

Jacob deGrom is done for the season.

The Texas Rangers ace will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his injured elbow, general manager Chris Young told reporters Tuesday.

"We have gone backwards. The MRI revealed damage that was significant," Young said, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. "I'm glad we have clarity. Everyone being in the dark was not good. Now we have a course of action and we will attack it."

Grant first reported the news, noting DeGrom is expected to be sidelined until the middle of 2024.

"This stinks. It's not ideal. But at least we know what it is now," deGrom told reporters Tuesday of the diagnosis. "I want to get it fixed and will set a goal to be back before the end of next year."

The news is a tough blow for the Rangers, which sit first in the American League West with a 39-20 record and 3.5 games ahead of the second-place Houston Astros.

DeGrom hasn't pitched since being pulled from an April 28 start against the New York Yankees after 3.2 innings with what was described as "forearm tightness." The Rangers placed him on the 15-day injured list on April 29 with elbow inflammation after an MRI revealed no structural damage.

The 34-year-old began throwing bullpen sessions roughly two weeks after being placed on the IL, the most recent of which came last Wednesday, before he returned home to Florida for the birth of his third child.

When deGrom returned to the Rangers on Monday, the team announced that he had been transferred to the 60-day injured list.

"These things aren't linear in terms of recovery," Young said Monday, per MLB.com's Kennedi Landry. "You test it, you deal with an element of soreness or discomfort and you determine how much that impacts the next steps. With arms, they're just hard because of this, that is not perfectly linear in terms of the recovery. I think that there have been good days and bad, as with most recoveries."

DeGrom's follow-up MRI on Tuesday revealed the partial tear of the UCL in his elbow. The franchise will now be tasked with navigating the remainder of the 2023 campaign without him.

Texas signed deGrom to a five-year, $185 million deal in free agency this winter after the veteran opted out of his contract with the New York Mets. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal highlighted in May that a major challenge was the pitcher's previous health issues:

"Insuring his five-year, $185 million contract would have been prohibitively expensive, according to sources who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The premiums might drop if he stays healthy for an extended period, but the way deGrom's option year is structured, it gives the Rangers a measure of insurance on the back end."

In six starts this season, deGrom went 2-0 with a 2.67 ERA, 0.758 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in 30.1 innings. He averaged about five innings per start.

When healthy, deGrom is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, having won two National League Cy Young awards and an ERA title during his nine-year career with the Mets.

However, deGrom hasn't been fully healthy since he made 32 starts during the 2019 campaign. He has missed a significant amount of time over the last four seasons due to various ailments, including forearm tightness and a shoulder injury that sidelined him for 13 months.

This will mark deGrom's second Tommy Johny surgery. He also underwent the procedure in 2011, three years before he made his major-league debut.

Given deGrom's injury history, his contract with the Rangers will almost certainly be put under the microscope as the club attempts to return to prominence after missing the postseason in each of the last six seasons.

With deGrom sidelined, Nathan Eovaldi, Martín Pérez, Jon Gray and Andrew Heaney will be tasked with holding down the fort on the mound.

Jacob deGrom hasn't pitched since an April 28 start against the New York Yankees due to elbow inflammation, but the Texas Rangers ace believes he's ready to return to the mound after an extended absence.

"For sure, feel like I've turned a corner," deGrom said Friday after tossing a 25-pitch bullpen session, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "Everything felt good. Definitely headed in the right direction. I'm ready to go back out there."

DeGrom's comments come after Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told reporters on May 9 that the right-hander would be sidelined for two-to-three more weeks.

The Rangers placed deGrom on the 15-day injured list on April 29 after he exited the April 28 start against the Yankees after 3.2 innings with what was described as "forearm tightness." A post-game MRI revealed inflammation in the elbow.

Texas signed deGrom to a five-year, $185 million deal in free agency this winter after he opted out of his contract with the New York Mets. In six starts, he is 2-0 with a 2.67 ERA, 0.758 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.

When healthy, deGrom is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. During his nine-year career with the Mets, he won two National League Cy Young awards, an ERA title and four All-Star selections.

That said, the 34-year-old has struggled to stay healthy over the latter stages of his career. In addition to dealing with minor elbow ailments, he spent 13 months on the shelf between 2021 and 2022 due to forearm tightness and a shoulder injury.

With deGrom out of the lineup, the Rangers have relied on Andrew Heaney, Jon Gray, Martín Pérez and Nathan Eovaldi to lead the rotation.

Texas entered Friday's game against the Colorado Rockies first in the American League West with a 26-17 record, two games above the second-place Houston Astros.

Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom is expected to be sidelined for two-to-three more weeks due to elbow inflammation, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters Thursday.

When asked about what the tentative plan for deGrom is moving forward, Bochy replied:

"After they take a look at it, I can answer a lot better. It feels better with each day, but you've got to go through some tests and evaluate. Once that happens, we can start to ramp up his pitching and hopefully get him on a mound. It's hard to say, but it's going to take a little time, maybe two or three weeks."

DeGrom was pulled from an April 17 start against the Kansas City Royals after four innings with wrist soreness.

The 34-year-old then tossed six innings in a start against the Oakland Athletics on April 23 before being pulled from an April 28 start against the New York Yankees after 3.2 innings with what was described as "forearm tightness."

An MRI later revealed that deGrom did not have any structural damage. However, it did display some inflammation.

The Rangers placed deGrom on the 15-day injured list on April 29. He is eligible to return on Sunday against the A's, but Bochy said the lefthander won't increase his throwing routine until after the team's road trip to Seattle, which begins June 2, and a meeting with doctors.

Texas signed deGrom to a five-year, $185 million deal in free agency this winter after he opted out of his deal with the New York Mets. In six starts this season, he is 2-0 with a 2.67 ERA, 0.758 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.

When healthy, deGrom is arguably the best pitcher in MLB, racking up two Cy Young awards, four All-Star selections and an ERA title over his 10-year career.

However, deGrom has missed a significant amount of time over the last several seasons due to injury, including a 13-month absence due to forearm tightness and a shoulder ailment, which contributed to New York's decision to not re-sign him in free agency.

With deGrom sidelined this season, the Rangers have turned to Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney, Jon Gray and Martín Pérez to hold down the rotation.

Texas currently sits first in the AL West with a 22-14 record, three games above the second-place Los Angeles Angels.

The Jacob deGrom era in Texas has hit a rough patch.

After the ace pitcher left a start early against the Yankees due to forearm tightness, the Rangers placed him on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation.

The Rangers have placed RHP Jacob deGrom on the 15-day Injured List with right elbow inflammation.

RHP Yerry Rodríguez (#57) has been recalled from Round Rock (AAA) and will be available for tonight's game vs. NYY.

— Texas Rangers PR (@TXRangersPR) April 29, 2023

Rangers general manager Chris Young provided an update on the situation, noting the organization will "see how it responds over the coming days."

Rangers GM Chris Young gives us a Jacob deGrom update.
@Rangers | #StraightUpTX | 📺: BSSW pic.twitter.com/GlWpeBZ1Tz

— FanDuel Sports Network Southwest (@FanDuelSN_SW) April 29, 2023

DeGrom has made six starts in his first season with the Rangers, sporting a 2-0 record with a 2.67 ERA. He signed a five-year, $185 million contract with the team in the offseason after spending the first nine seasons of his career with the New York Mets.

When healthy, deGrom is possibly the best pitcher in MLB. The four-time All-Star has taken home two Cy Young Awards and has a lifetime record of 84-57 with a 2.53 ERA.

However, he has dealt with injury issues throughout his career, including a 13-month absence because of forearm tightness and a shoulder injury that made some wonder about his longevity. That impacted the Mets' decision not to retain deGrom, and side tightness during spring training this year raised some early alarms.

Still, deGrom is not likely to miss more than a start or two because of this latest injury.

The Rangers have gotten out to a 15-11 start and currently sit in first place in the AL West.

Just four games into his Rangers' career and star pitcher Jacob deGrom has once again started to feel the sting of the injury bug.

DeGrom was removed from his start Monday night against the Kansas City Royals with soreness in his right wrist, the team announced. He had four no-hit innings going when he got checked on and eventually taken out of the game as a precaution.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported that deGrom is set to be reevaluated tomorrow. He didn't want to risk worsening it, as his wrist was only getting more sore as the game wore on.

Dane Dunning came on to replace the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

DeGrom's Texas career hasn't gotten off to the best of starts after signing a massive five-year, $185 million deal with the organization on Dec. 2. In his first three starts this season he has gone 1-0 with a 4.32 ERA with 27 strikeouts.

It's well below the standard he set over his nine seasons with the New York Mets, where he solidified himself as the best pitcher in MLB.

But injuries are nothing new for the 34-year-old, who has dealt with plenty of them over the past few years. Dating back to the 2020 season he has not played in more than 15 games, last season he pitched in just 11.

So Monday night is a scary sight for any Rangers fan, even if it's just a precaution.

DeGrom was a back-to-back Cy Young award winner in 2018 and 2019 when he dominated for the Mets to the tune of a 1.70 and 2.43 ERA, respectively. It was one of the best runs of any pitcher in recent memory.

And despite his injury history, whenever he does get on the mound he doesn't seem to take too much of a step back.