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With Jacob deGrom receiving a five-year, $185 million contract from the Rangers, free agency is moving fast, according to Andy Martino of SNY.
In an article for SNY, Martino also reported that Justin Verlander is “front and center” for the Mets.
“Verlander is not a fallback plan for the Mets, who have been enamored by him throughout the free agent process,” Martino wrote in the article.
This news should come to nobody’s surprise, as the Mets spoke with Verlander via zoom last weekend.
While losing deGrom is a punch in the gut, adding Verlander would immediately boost the Mets rotation back to its former status. The future Hall-of-Famer had one of the best comeback seasons in MLB history in 2022, leading the AL with a 1.75 ERA, 220 ERA+, 0.829 WHIP, and 6.0 hits per nine innings. For his efforts, Verlander won the third Cy Young of his career in 2022.
The most glaring issue with Verlander, however, is his recent injury history. He missed the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to right groin surgery and Tommy John surgery. Along with the injuries, Verlander will also be 40 years old to begin the 2023 season.
Adding Verlander may be a risk for the Mets, but his track record in Houston speaks for itself. Since 2018, he has recorded a 2.33 ERA, 11.9 SO/9, and 2.90 FIP in 618 innings. With those phenomenal numbers, Verlander has also led the AL in starts twice and won the AL Cy Young twice.
