Jacob deGrom, when healthy, is one of the most dominant starting pitchers in Major League Baseball, but his market might not be very robust this winter.
That’s because deGrom will be looking to fetch a significant, long-term contract, one he’s earned after receiving four All-Star selections and two National League Cy Young Awards since 2015. An anonymous MLB general manager told the New York Post’s Jon Heyman with confidence that the star right-hander will land a deal worth at least $40 million annually, and that’s probably too steep of a price for most teams across the big leagues.
One club capable of dishing out that kind of cash is the New York Mets, with whom deGrom played all nine seasons of his MLB career to date. Another is the Texas Rangers, who Heyman identifies as an “obvious” landing spot for the 34-year-old if you take Queens out of the picture.
It doesn’t sound like Heyman is expecting deGrom to take his talents to the Lone Star State, though. The longtime MLB insider highlighted the Rangers’ other needs and non-contender status as reasons why deGrom won’t end up in Texas. As far as other suitors are concerned, Heyman believes the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants could enter the deGrom sweepstakes.
deGrom, as well as every other free agent, can officially sign the dotted line starting Thursday.
