Jacob deGrom’s complicated contract includes Tommy John surgery contingencies

Jacob deGrom recently signed a huge five-year contract with the Texas Rangers worth $185 million, and surgery could make it a bit more complicated.

Jacob deGrom is no stranger to injury as he took over a year off with multiple injuries, but he came back strong in August, wasting no time and immediately producing incredible results. However, given that he has a history of injury, he’s considered a ‘high-risk’ signing, so there are terms and conditions on his new contract with the Texas Rangers.

deGrom’s contract reportedly has a conditional option that comes into play if he undergoes Tommy John surgery or any type of right elbow surgery throughout the 2023-26 seasons that keeps him on the injured list for 130 consecutive days.

If this happens, he’ll be bound to the contract for another year, pushing his contract worth to $222 million. It was certainly a risky signing for the Rangers, but they likely saw his benefits to outweigh the negatives of what could happen.

He’s truly one of the best pitchers in the league, and he could certainly help the team when he’s healthy.

Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom could bring the team in the right direction

The Rangers need improvements in their rotation, and deGrom is almost certain to bring them when he’s healthy. Over the 2022 regular season, among all teams in the league, the Rangers had the ninth-worst ERA (4.22), 14th-worst opponent batting average (.247) and seventh-worst WHIP (1.34).

deGrom will likely improve their numbers considerably. After getting a late start to the 2022 season in August, he immediately produced good results, producing an ERA of 3.08, batting average against of .175 and WHIP of 0.75. His worst results since 2017 have been a WHIP of 0.97, BAA of .207 and ERA of 3.08.

While it’s unfortunate he’s faced many injuries that have taken him down, he always proves to come back strong and able to get the job done. The Rangers may be in a tough spot with the contract, but deGrom will likely do what they need him to do for years to come.