Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Verlander is officially a member of the New York Mets after the team made the deal official on Tuesday during the MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego.

After Jacob deGrom opted to sign a five-year, $185 million contract with the Texas Rangers, the Mets moved quickly to find a replacement by signing Verlander to a two-year, $86 million deal on Monday. The contract features a vesting option for the 2025 season worth $35 million. The deal also has a full no-trade clause.

The Mets needed an elite arm they could pair with Max Scherzer at the top of the rotation and Verlander certainly has the pedigree. The 39-year-old has two World Series titles, three Cy Young Awards, he’s a nine-time All-Star, he’s won an MVP, the pitchers Triple Crown and he’s also thrown three no-hitters. Verlander is a proven winner and Mets owner Steve Cohen released the following statement after the deal was made official.

“Alex and I are delighted to welcome Justin, his wife, Kate, and their daughter into our Mets family,” Cohen said. “We feel a deep connection with his drive to succeed and we know Mets fans will love watching him pitch.”

Verlander was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball in 2022. Despite returning from Tommy John Surgery, the righty was dominant as he posted a stellar 1.75 ERA in 175.0 innings pitched. He struck out 185 batters and only walked 29. He also gave up one earned run or fewer in 20 of his 28 starts. Ultimately, the Mets were able to land a sure-fire future Hall of Famer who was still able to pitch at the peak of his powers in his 17th season in the majors.

“The way we want to think about it is just being opportunistic,” Mets general manager Billy Eppler said. “If an opportunity comes along, based on our valuation, my responsibility is to take that to Steve and then make a call on it. It is exciting to get that deal done and dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s. We’re extremely excited to add Justin, as accomplished and as decorated as a pitcher he is to the front end of the rotation. It gives us quite the one-two punch.”

Verlander appears built to thrive under the bright lights of New York City and he’s a proven winner who knows what it takes to get the job done deep in October. With the Mets built to win now, adding a pitcher with Verlander’s experience and quality was crucial and the ace will give this team a lethal two-headed monster at the top of the rotation along with Scherzer.

“Having Justin here was a very important step for us,” Eppler said. “To get that caliber of pitcher here, I’m really thankful for the commitment from Steve Cohen and Alex Cohen to support that and allow us to go out and make these kind of moves in service of the community, in service of the team and in service of our goals. We’re very excited to have him.”