MLB Free Agency Odds: Where Red Sox Stand In Jacob deGrom Market

Major League Baseball free agency is off to a slow start as many big names are expected to earn big contracts this offseason.

One of those players is Jacob deGrom. The two-time Cy Young winner declined the New York Mets’ qualifying offer Tuesday in hopes to sign a multi-year deal.

The 34-year-old has dealt with injuries the past two seasons, but when healthy, deGrom is dangerous on the mound. In 2022, deGrom went 40 consecutive starts allowing three or fewer earned runs, breaking the major league record set by Chicago White Sox pitcher Jim Scott in 1914.

The Red Sox certainly have youth in their pitching staff — highlighted by Brayan Bello — and Boston has the option to re-sign Michael Wacha and Nathan Eovaldi, who also declined his qualifying offer. But bringing in deGrom wouldn’t be a bad idea to give the team an extra boost.

DraftKings Sportsbook has released “next team” odds for a number of high-profile free agents. Here’s how the top five shapes up:

New York Mets -125
Atlanta Braves +330
New York Mets +550
Los Angeles Dodgers +800
Boston Red Sox +1300

While Boston doesn’t have longshot odds to sign deGrom, at 13-to-1, oddsmakers don’t see a high likelihood of it becoming a reality. But it is still within the realm of possibility. A return to the Mets would make sense, and both sides appear to be on the same page, but New York reportedly has backup options if deGrom were to be tempted elsewhere.

Of course, the high-priority item for the Red Sox is re-signing Xander Bogaerts. It has been a point of emphasis for chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. However, there are plenty of other high-end shortstop options if things don’t work out.