The Mets lost the Jacob deGrom sweepstakes, but they apparently didn’t shortchange the star right-hander as they tried to keep him in Queens.
deGrom, arguably the best pitcher available in Major League Baseball free agency this offseason, left New York to sign a five-year, $185 million contract with the Texas Rangers. All things considered, it likely was the best offer deGrom received on the open market, but it might not have been the richest in terms of average annual value.
According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, the Mets offered deGrom a three-year deal with a yearly value of “close to $40 million,” and maybe would have tacked on a fourth year. The Rangers, who entered the offseason as one of the most pitching-needy teams in the big leagues, went the extra mile to win the bidding war and were able to offer deGrom a landing spot with no state income tax.
With deGrom gone and Chris Bassitt lingering on the open market, New York now finds itself in need of a front-of-the-rotation starter to pair with Max Scherzer. Perhaps that void will be filled by 2022 American League Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, who the Mets reportedly are “intrigued” by as we enter the winter meetings portion of the offseason.
