The Texas Rangers and pitcher Jacob deGrom agreed to a five-year, $185 million contract on Friday evening. The deal came as a shock to most, especially the New York Mets, who were completely caught off guard by his sudden departure.
The Mets knew they’d have some competition for deGrom, but had no idea he’d leave them in dust.
Prior to his deal with the Rangers, the Mets offered deGrom a three-year, $120 million deal. It was rebuffed. And the team was never afforded another opportunity to make an offer or potentially match the Rangers’ offer.
“I asked the Mets what their last and final offer was. What I was told was ‘we didn’t have the chance to formulate it.’ They were told in the last 2 hours tops that deGrom was either signing with the Rangers, or very far down the road. They felt like it was too late,” SNY’s Andy Martino reported.
DeGrom spent nine long seasons with the Mets, compiling a 82-57 record, 2.52 ERA and 1,607 strikeouts in 1,326 innings. He won Rookie of the Year in 2018 and was named Cy Young in both 2018 and 2019. However, he managed to appear in just 26 games over the past two seasons due to a multitude of injuries.
DeGrom’s $37 million annual salary is second only to Max Scherzer, whom the Mets signed to three-year, $130 million contract last season.
With deGrom now out the door, the Mets will move onto Plan B, also known as Justin Verlander.
