Jacob deGrom

The Texas Rangers have signed former New York Mets ace pitcher Jacob deGrom to a five-year, $185 million contract, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

The two-time National League Cy Young Award winner now leads a rotation that includes Jon Gray, Martín Pérez, Jake Odorizzi and Dane Dunning, per FanGraphs, which also projects Texas for a $177 million payroll in 2023 (ninth in MLB).

Texas has a top-heavy payroll with deGrom, shortstop Corey Seager and second baseman Marcus Semien leading the way. Texas signed Seager to a 10-year, $325 million contract, and Semien inked a seven-season, $175 million deal.

The Rangers struggled last year despite the addition of their two middle infielders, finishing fourth in the American League West with a 68-94 record.

Texas struggled offensively (ninth in the AL in OPS) and on the mound (12th in the AL in ERA). DeGrom should at least serve as the bona fide ace of a rotation that looks solid on paper, especially after the Rangers traded for Odorizzi to strengthen the back end.

The four-time All-Star has played his entire nine-year career with the Mets, going 82-57 with a 2.52 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 10.9 K/9 rate.

When healthy, he's been the best pitcher in baseball of late. Unfortunately, injuries kept him out for large chunks of the season in 2021 (elbow, forearm ailments) and 2022 (stress reaction on his right scapula). He made only 27 starts over the past two years.

That, in turn, presents a big risk for the Rangers as they look to return to relevance. However, a healthy deGrom could dominate the American League and significantly strengthen a rotation in need of help.

The Texas Rangers have added a big piece to their roster with the signing of Jacob deGrom.

The starting pitcher has agreed to a five-year deal with the Rangers, the club announced Friday. It is worth $185 million and has a sixth-year option that could make the total deal worth $222 million, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

DeGrom had $53 million remaining on his initial five-year contract with the New York Mets, but he decided to opt out of the final two seasons in search of a better deal.

Mike Puma of the New York Post reported the Mets never made a final offer to the starter.

The two-time Cy Young winner will now get a fresh start after spending the nine years of his career with the Mets.

A shoulder issue limited deGrom to just 11 starts in 2022, finishing the year 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA and 0.746 WHIP. He added 102 strikeouts in just 64.1 innings. Though effective on the mound, the missed time is a significant issue after an elbow injury held the starter to just 15 starts in 2021.

He still thrived when healthy with a 7-2 record, 1.08 ERA and 146 strikeouts. His 0.554 WHIP would be the best in MLB history if he had enough innings to qualify.

Even before this historic production, the 34-year-old finished 2020 with a 4-2 record and 2.38 ERA, leading the league with 104 strikeouts in just 68 innings. It was enough to finish third in Cy Young voting after winning the award the previous two seasons.

From 2018-21, the right-hander had a 1.94 ERA in 91 starts with a 0.88 WHIP and 12 strikeouts per nine innings.

It only added to deGrom's resume after he won the 2014 Rookie of the Year award and helped the Mets reach the World Series in 2016.

The continued production shows he can be a difference-maker for his new team at the top of the rotation, putting the Rangers one step closer to playoff contention.

Texas was just 68-94 last season, marking the sixth straight year without a postseason appearance. The team should still improve with the addition of a true ace, turning around a pitching staff that ranked 12th in the American League in ERA last season.

New York still has Max Scherzer under contract to help handle the loss of deGrom, but the rotation should take a step back after last year's success.

Two-time National League Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom is available to sign with any team on the open market, but the New York Mets are confident that the prized free agent doesn't want to go anywhere.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that while the Mets know there's a chance deGrom walks in free agency, the team is prioritizing him this offseason and believes he is interested in staying put as well.

"Mets people seem to think he prefers to return (well, he could have fooled me!), and there's some concern about losing their homegrown uber-talent and watching him win Cy Young awards elsewhere, so he may still be their top remaining target," Heyman wrote.

Heyman also predicted that the Texas Rangers would be the team with the second-best chances to sign deGrom this offseason, but he listed the Tampa Bay Rays as a long shot despite the franchise's proximity to his hometown of DeLand, Florida. He noted that the Rays are not known for big spending in free agency, while deGrom will undoubtedly command a hefty price tag.

The 2022 season didn't go as deGrom had planned, as he was forced to miss the first few months because of a stress reaction in his shoulder. After making his season debut in August, he finished with a 5-4 record in 11 starts. He posted a 0.75 WHIP and 102 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched, but his 3.08 ERA was his first time with a plus-3.00 ERA since 2017.

DeGrom had a particularly tough finish to the regular season when he allowed three or more earned runs in four consecutive starts. However, he had a strong showing in Game 2 of the Mets' wild-card series against the San Diego Padres, allowing two runs with eight strikeouts in a 7-3 win. New York went on to lose the series in an upset after being pegged as a World Series contender earlier in the year.

While deGrom likely has multiple teams courting him in free agency, the Mets have a strong core that can once again contend for a title in 2023 if he decides to stay. Max Scherzer will surely be motivated after his postseason disappointment, and New York was able to retain star closer Edwin Diaz at the start of the offseason. Keeping deGrom in the mix would give the Mets a strong chance at bouncing back next season.

As the 2022 MLB offseason continues to unfold, the New York Mets are pondering their next move at pitcher.

New York reached a new five-year deal with reliever Edwin Díaz just before the start of free agency. However, with Chris Bassitt, Jacob deGrom and Taijuan Walker reaching free agency, New York is looking to fill out its starting rotation.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets are eying top free agents like deGrom, Justin Verlander and Carlos Rodón to pair with Max Scherzer at the top of the rotation:

While deGrom appears to be the Met's "focus," according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, New York has turned its attention to Rodón this week. Sherman reported that New York scheduled a virtual meeting with the 29-year-old on Tuesday.

Kicking the tires on Rodón is completely logical, even if the Mets believe they can bring back deGrom. Rodón is on the under side of 30, is coming off of back-to-back All-Star campaigns and would potentially bring more long-term value to the Mets than either deGrom or Verlander.

Verlander, who will turn 40 in February, is still at the top of his game, but he may only make sense on a one- or perhaps two-year deal. The Mets are reportedly considering a three-year deal with deGrom, which is more than what other teams would offer.

According to SNY's Andy Martino, other teams view deGrom as a significant risk. The MLB insider recently said the following on Baseball Night in New York:

"I think this is breaking in the Mets’ favor a little bit. We have not seen teams step up at the level the Mets are willing to be. Which we’ve said before, is clearly three years. I don’t think the Mets would go four. But I think other teams, rightly, view deGrom as a big risk. He’s not Corey Kluber of a couple of years ago, but other teams are sort of seeing him in that category, where you take a flier on him."

The concern is legitimate, as deGrom has missed time because of injury in each of the past two seasons.

This is another reason why it makes sense to strongly consider the younger and (recently) healthier Rodón. While deGrom is capable of pitching at a high level when healthy, he can't help the Mets if he's on the disabled list.

And taking a swing a Rodón now is logical because other teams are interested. According to Rosenthal, the Texas Rangers are "more confident" about landing Rodón than either deGrom or Verlander.

The Mets owe it to themselves to see if Rodón can be a fit—on the field and financially—while the option of signing him is still on the proverbial table. If he isn't or if New York can't land him, the Mets can always turn their attention back to deGrom.

This is where teams' concerns can benefit New York. It feels unlikely that another franchise will snap up deGrom before pitchers like Rodón and Verlander are off the market. This gives the Mets time to evaluate their options before committing to a quality player with legitimate durability concerns.

This past season, Rodón won 14 games for the San Francisco Giants while pitching 178 innings. His 2.88 ERA was better than deGrom's (3.08), and his workload was significantly higher—deGrom pitched just 64.1 innings.

None of this means that deGrom won't be back, that New York won't make a run at Verlander or that it won't pivot to another pitcher. However, Rodón is a terrific starter to target for the long term, and the Mets would be doing themselves a disservice by not checking in.

Franchise owner Steve Cohen and GM Billy Eppler clearly aren't afraid to spend to build a contender. If they're going to spend big to keep a second star in the rotation, though, it only makes sense to consider all options before making a move.

The Tampa Bay Rays have reportedly made contact with starting pitcher Jacob deGrom in free agency, but they aren't necessarily expecting to be able to sign him.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Rays have reached out to deGrom, however, they are "pessimistic" about their chances of signing him since they figure to get priced out of the market.

Rosenthal noted that deGrom is expected to land a contract worth more than $40 million per year over at least three years, which would make up about half of the club-record $83.9 million payroll the Rays had last season.

This reportedly isn't the first time the Rays have made at least some attempt to land a big fish in free agency, as they dipped their toe in the Freddie Freeman waters last year before the superstar first baseman signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Per ESPN's Buster Olney, the Rays offered Freeman deals of $140 million over six years or $150 million over seven years, but he instead signed a six-year, $162 million contract with L.A.

The Rays ultimately weren't too far off on their offers for Freeman, but it is hard to imagine them being willing to spend anywhere close to $40 million per season for deGrom, especially given his injury history.

Rosenthal noted that other aspects would likely have to appeal to deGrom in order for the Rays to land him, including pitching in his home state of Florida, not having to deal with state income tax and getting to pitch under highly touted pitching coach Kyle Snyder.

Regardless, other teams interested in deGrom will be able and willing to pay him "considerably" more, according to Rosenthal.

Several teams have been rumored to be in on deGrom, with Mike Puma of the New York Post reporting recently that the New York Mets would like to retain him, while the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, Dodgers and Chicago Cubs have also shown interest.

Puma noted that deGrom would like to stay with the Mets as long as there isn't a "significant discrepancy" between the Mets' offer and offers made by other interested teams.

The 34-year-old deGrom has spent his entire nine-year MLB career with the Mets, earning four All-Star selections, one National League ERA title and two NL Cy Young Awards during that time.

Overall, deGrom is 82-57 in his career with a 2.52 ERA and 0.99 WHIP, plus he has struck out 1,607 batters in 1,326 innings.

He has not started more than 15 games in a single season since 2019, which marked his third consecutive season of at least 30 starts.

After getting off to a late start last season due to injury, deGrom ended up making 11 starts and went 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 102 strikeouts over 64.1 innings.

The ERA was deGrom's highest since 2017, but his WHIP remained elite and his strikeout rate matched a career best set one year earlier, suggesting that deGrom remained a top-flight starter when healthy.

Bringing in an ace of deGrom's caliber would be a potential game-changer for a Rays team that often has to piece things together with openers and their bullpen, but it is easy to envision them getting priced out of the market.

Mets owner Steve Cohen has been outspoken about his willingness to spend huge money in order to field a World Series contender, and letting a prized player slip away to the Rays would represent bad optics, which is something Cohen would almost certainly like to avoid.

Despite being limited to 26 starts over the past two seasons, Jacob deGrom is still highly regarded around Major League Baseball as he seeks a new contract in free agency.

A talent evaluator for one team told The Athletic's Will Sammon that deGrom is a "potentially organization-changing" talent who "possesses the best stuff across the board" in MLB.

There is an expectation that the two-time National League Cy Young winner could sign the richest contract by average annual salary in MLB history this offseason. The record is $43.3 million, held by deGrom's 2022 New York Mets teammate Max Scherzer.

Scherzer signed a three-year, $130 million deal with the Mets in November 2021.

Ben Clemens of FanGraphs predicts deGrom will sign a three-year, $141 million deal ($47 million per season).

Injuries caused deGrom to miss 13 months from July 2021 to August 2022. He sat out the final two months of the 2021 campaign with forearm tightness and elbow soreness.

The Mets placed deGrom on the injured list prior to the start of this season because of a stress reaction in his right scapula. The four-time All-Star didn't debut until Aug. 2.

He mostly looked like his usual self in the latter half of last season. He threw at least five innings in each of his first nine starts and posted a 3.08 ERA with 102 strikeouts in 64.1 innings overall.

One encouraging sign is deGrom's fastball velocity was the second-fastest of his career (98.9 mph), per FanGraphs. He ranked in the 90th percentile or better in several key categories, including strikeout percentage (100), walk percentage (99), whiff percentage (99), chase rate (98) and fastball spin rate (97), per Statcast.

There were some hiccups, at least by deGrom's usual standards, down the stretch. He allowed at least three earned runs in four consecutive starts from Sept. 13 to 30. He gave up six homers during that span, including three in a Sept. 30 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

A contract of the type deGrom is expecting carries significant risk. He is 34 years old and hasn't pitched a full season since the COVID-shortened 60-game campaign in 2020.

The last time deGrom surpassed 100 innings in a season was 2019. There is the potential for massive upside if he remains healthy in 2023. It certainly makes him worth a significant financial investment, especially for a team trying to win a World Series next season.

If the New York Yankees want to maximize their potential for the 2023 season, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if they decided to pursue Jacob deGrom over Aaron Judge in free agency.

Per Andy Martino of SNY, the Yankees have requested deGrom's medical information as part of their offseason due diligence.

Martino made it clear the Bronx Bombers are prioritizing re-signing Judge, but they would also like to add depth to their pitching staff.

Judge is going to be the top priority for New York for a number of reasons. He's coming off a historic 2022 season that saw him hit an American League-record 62 homers and win the AL MVP.

The Yankees drafted Judge in 2013, and he developed into the biggest star in the sport wearing their uniform. He's a former AL Rookie of the Year winner, four-time All-Star and has finished in the top four in AL MVP voting three times, including his win in 2022.

This is a franchise that's not in the habit of losing homegrown superstars, but he is also a fascinating test case because he's one of the most unique players in Major League Baseball right now.

He is a 6'7", 282-pound brick wall of a baseball player who is going to turn 31 in April.

In his ranking of the top 50 free agents this offseason, The Athletic's Keith Law noted the history of players who are Judge's size playing into their 30s is not an illustrious group.

"Only three players that height have even had 100 AB in a season at 31 or older—Frank Howard, Richie Sexson, and Tony Clark—and the three accounted for just six seasons worth 1 WAR or more, four from Howard and one each from the other two. All were effectively done by age 35, with Sexson done after age 31," Law wrote.

The report noted Judge is a better athlete than any of those players, but the injury risk for players that size also increases as you get older.

Judge has been durable over the past two seasons, appearing in 305 out of a possible 324 regular-season games. It was a different story from 2018-20, though, when he missed a total of 142 games due to injuries.

The counterargument from Yankees fans is deGrom isn't exactly a picture of health. It's a valid concern for any team pursuing the 34-year-old. He has only appeared in 26 games over the past two seasons for the New York Mets.

This is absolutely worth thinking about, but then you also need to consider what the contracts for both players are likely going to be.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters in April that Judge rejected a seven-year, $213.5 million contract offer before the season started. The deal would have been added to a $17 million offer for 2022 to avoid arbitration, bringing the total value to $230.5 million over eight years.

Ben Clemens of FanGraphs predicted Judge will sign a nine-year, $315 million ($35 million per season) contract this offseason. A deal of that length would take him through his age-39 season.

Judge is going to have his share of suitors, with MLB Network's Jon Morosi posting a video of the four-time All-Star arriving in San Francisco where he's expected to meet with Giants officials this week:

In the same article, Clemens predicted a three-year, $141 million contract for deGrom. A $47 million average annual salary would surpass Max Scherzer's deal with the Mets ($43.3 million) as the most in MLB.

From a performance standpoint, you would never have known anything was wrong with deGrom after he made his 2022 debut on Aug. 2. The right-hander had a 3.08 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 102 strikeouts and 40 hits allowed in 64.1 innings.

Per BaseballSavant.com, the four-time All-Star was in the 90th percentile or better in strikeout percentage, walk percentage, whiff percentage, chase rate, hard-hit percentage, xBA, xOBP and xERA.

Signing him would add him to a rotation that already features Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Luis Severino. It's hard to pick a better quartet of starters in MLB if deGrom ends up in the Bronx.

If Judge goes, the biggest issue is what happens to the Yankees offense. This is the main problem facing the team this offseason, even if they re-sign him. Bringing back Anthony Rizzo was an OK move, but he's 33 and has stopped hitting for average to sell out for power.

There were four regulars who finished the season with the team that had a below-average OPS+ last season: Jose Trevino, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Josh Donaldson, Aaron Hicks.

Gleyber Torres, who had the third-highest OPS+ on the team among qualified regulars (114), has been linked to the Seattle Mariners in trade talks if the Yankees want to make a move.

Some reinforcements are on their way from the minors. Shortstop Anthony Volpe, their top prospect, should get the call at some point in 2023 after finishing the season in Triple-A.

Oswald Peraza finished last season in the big leagues. The 22-year-old showed promise in a small sample size with an .833 OPS in 18 games.

There's no easy answer for what the Yankees should do to improve their World Series odds in 2023, unless they are willing to blow past the luxury tax and potentially add one of the top shortstops along with one of Judge or deGrom.

In deciding between Judge or deGrom, though, the safer bet is always the short-term deal that might cost a little more per season.

Yankees fans will get their disappointment out of the way if Judge decides to go elsewhere. It wouldn't be the end of the world if they let him walk and replace him with a two-time National League Cy Young winner who looked great at the end of last season.