Verlander, who earned his third Cy Young Award of his career in 2022, will sign a two-year agreement with the Mets and will effectively take the place of Jacob deGrom.
Justin Verlander went 18-4 for the Houston Astros in 2022. Credit-The New York Times
The Mets are welcoming Justin Verlander three days after saying goodbye to Jacob deGrom.According to a person with knowledge of the deal who was not permitted to publicly discuss it, the team and Verlander, the 2022 American League Cy Young Award winner, came to an agreement on a two-year deal worth $86 million on Monday.
The Mets required an ace replacement, and 39-year-old Verlander desired a large stage to compete on.Before starting Game 5 of the World Series in Philadelphia, Verlander hadn’t played at Citizens Bank Park since 2007. The Phillies will likely see a lot more of Verlander than they did in the first 17 years of his Hall of Fame career, even though the Mets will only play four series against them as opposed to six as part of the new balanced schedule in 2019.
The Mets were anticipated to change directions and focus on Justin Verlander or Carlos Rodón after losing out to the Texas Rangers for Jacob deGrom. While the Mets rotation is undoubtedly loaded with talent, it’s unwise to count on Verlander and Scherzer to pitch 350–400 innings each.
During the regular season, Verlander played 175 innings, going at least six innings in 22 of his 28 starts while striking out 185 batters and walking just 29. Despite not pitching in the majors the previous season, he also became the second non-rookie to ever make at least 15 starts and record a sub-2.00 ERA.
