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Justin Verlander Heads to Mets (Source)

Justin Verlander Heads to Mets (Source)

San Diego – Upon learning late last week Jacob DeGrum Deciding to leave for Texas without giving his old team a chance to face off, General Manager Billy Eppler sent DeGrum a congratulatory text message. The two spoke regularly in late November, and Eppler realized the possibility of signing Degrum elsewhere. Slowing down the fallout will not be productive.

Instead, Eppler allowed less than 72 hours to pass before deGrom’s replacement was found. On Monday, the Mets agreed to terms with Justin Verlander On a two-year contract worth $86.7 million, including a $35 million option to vest in 2025, a source familiar with the deal confirmed. The team has not yet announced the contract. When it becomes official, he will meet Verlander Max Scherzerwho played alongside him from 2010-14 with Detroit.

In fact, Eppler replaced one of this generation’s greatest pitchers with another, for less than half the total cost.

“The way we want to think is just opportunistic,” Eppler said, speaking generally because he couldn’t comment on a deal that was still pending. “If the opportunity arises, based on our assessment, it is my responsibility to take it [owner] Steve [Cohen] Then make a call to her.”

The opportunity to acquire Verlander, who continued to defy time by having his best major league season at the age of 39, proved too attractive for the Mets to give up. The three-time Cy Young Award winner would come the year he produced a league-best 1.75 ERA over 28 starts for the Astros, leading the Majors with a 0.83 WHIP and a league-adjusted 220 ERA+ (indicating he was more than twice as effective as a regular pitcher). Verlander still throws deep into the ’90s in gaming.

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On a broader scale, Verlander is a 17-year veteran whose accolades include nine All-Star selections, the 2006 MLS Player of the Year Award and the 2011 Major League Player of the Year Award. He’s earned two of his three Cy Young Awards in the past four seasons. Between trophies he had Tommy John surgery, missing nearly every 20th year and every 21st year but came back with unprecedented success.

Given this effectiveness, Verlander made the obvious decision to opt out last year and have $25 million left on his contract with the Astros. When he did, he found a market full of teams enamored of his skills and willing to pass his age.

In some ways, Verlander presents fewer risks than the younger DeGrom. He’s thrown more innings this year than DeGrum did in 2021-22 all together, as the Met has long struggled with right elbow and shoulder injuries. Verlander has proven things DeGrom hasn’t, including the ability to perform well into his late 30s. It only takes a modest leap of faith to believe Verlander can continue to find success at the age of 40 and 41.

On the one hand, Verlander’s age is actually an advantage for the Mets, because it allowed them to acquire him in a short-term, high-average annual value deal, which wouldn’t have been possible in his tenure. The AAV is identical to what the Mets gave Scherzer prior to last season. The total guaranteed value of $86.7 million is about $100 million less than what the Rangers deGrum guarantees, and almost certainly less than what Carlos Rodon, another rookie, would get on a multi-year contract.

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Realistically, this deal gets the Mets out of action for Rodon, but not for other pitchers. Verlander joins a squad that includes Scherzer, Carlos Carrasco, David Peterson and Taylor Miguel. His new team remains in the market for an extra start, according to multiple sources, with options including Kodai Senga, Chris Bassett, Jameson Taillon, Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney, and others. Eppler has mentioned on several occasions that starting to come up with answers can also come via the commercial market.

Elsewhere on the list, Eppler’s offseason agenda includes rebuilding his database beyond $102 million to re-sign closer Edwin Diaz, The offense should also be fortified with an outfielder, a DH, or both. But the most important item on his to-do list is signing a front-line starter: either DeGrom or someone who looks a lot like him.

Throughout November, Eppler kept tabs on deGrom, speaking regularly with him and his representatives. When it became clear that DeGrom was leaving, Eppler fired off a congratulatory text message and moved on to other matters. GM declined to disclose the nature of DeGrom’s response.

“He made the decision that made the most sense for him and his family,” said Eppler. “I was happy for him and wished him well. I said, ‘I’m going to miss seeing you on a regular basis.’ But yeah, that was the case.”