With Jacob deGrom going to Texas, the New York Mets found themselves with a massive hole in their starting rotation to plug and did just that on Monday when word broke that Justin Verlander was leaving Houston for New York.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the Mets had agreed to a two-year, $86 million deal with a “vesting third-year option” to bring the soon to be 40-year-old ace to Queens.
Justin Verlander’s deal with the Mets is for two years and $86 million, per source. It includes a vesting third-year option. After losing Jacob deGrom, the Mets replace him with the American League Cy Young Award winner, who will be paired atop their rotation with Max Scherzer.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 5, 2022
That’s obviously a massive commitment to a pitcher entering his 40s, but Verlander is coming off another Cy Young winning season in which he led the majors with a 1.75 ERA and a 0.829 WHIP. The three-time Cy Young award winner (and 2011 AL MVP) will join Max Scherzer at the top of the Mets rotation that will continue to boast two of baseball’s best starters, even after seeing deGrom walk. The question, of course, will be whether Verlander’s health will hold up after Tommy John surgery cost him the 2021 season, but he certainly didn’t show signs of losing anything in his first year back in 2022.
After falling short in the Wild Card, the Mets clearly had ideas on how to upgrade their roster and Verlander is the first big piece, but few expect New York to be done making significant acquisitions.