The Mets had a choice to make after Jacob deGrom’s Texas two-step out of town. Patch the hole with several middle-class signings or swing for another ace?
Since these are Steve Cohen’s Amazins, they went with the latter and brought Justin Verlander to the Big Apple on a big-money deal.
It’s a big risk for many reasons. But at the end of the day, it is a preferable risk compared to matching deGrom’s Rangers contract.
Age and injuries. Verlander, 39, battled injuries in 2020 (he would have missed significant time to start the year prior to the pandemic) and then blew out his elbow, missing all of the 2021 season.