Just three days after losing ace Jacob deGrom to the Rangers, the Mets have found a top pitching replacement in free agency.
Reigning American League Cy Young winner Justin Verlander has agreed to a multi-year deal with the Mets, according to reports. The two-year deal is reportedly worth $86 million and contains a vesting third-year option, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the option is worth $35 million in 2025 if Verlander pitches 140 innings in 2024.
Andy Martino of SNY was the first to report the news of the signing.
Late last week, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Mets were courting Verlander, who won his second World Series with the Astros in early November. Rosenthal said the team spoke with the three-time Cy Young winner via Zoom last week.
Verlander, who will turn 40 in February, bounced back during the 2022 season after missing most of ’20 and all of ’21 due to Tommy John surgery. This past season, he started 28 games for the Astros, going 18–4 with a 1.75 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 175 innings, culminating in his third Cy Young award and first since ’19.
The Mets will hope to use Verlander to fill the void left by deGrom, who signed a five-year, $185 million deal with Texas on Friday night. The 34-year-old had spent his entire career in New York, dating back to when he was drafted by the club in 2010.
Verlander will now play the ace role with the Mets, who emerged as one of the National League’s top teams in 2022 in their first season under manager Buck Showalter. The team went 101–61, but stumbled in the playoffs with a loss to the Padres in the wild-card round.
