3 teams that should already feel smart not paying Jacob deGrom $185 million

Losing Jacob deGrom might actually work out in the Mets favor

One possibility for deGrom in free agency was the simple conclusion that he’d stay with the New York Mets. He’d been a stud for the club when on the field, we know that Steve Cohen has zero problems with putting a big number on a contract, and it’s a setting that he’s obviously familiar with after spending his entire career with New York.

The Mets weren’t all too upset after deGrom signed with the Rangers, though. A big reason for that was Cohen and the front office acting quickly to sign the other veteran ace on the free agent market, Justin Verlander, to an expensive but shorter-term deal than the one deGrom got from Texas.

While Verlander has experienced some injury issues recently, notably missing a year due to Tommy John surgery, he returned in the 2022 season to win AL Cy Young, so it feels safe to say that he’s more than fine in spite of that and in spite of his age. It also seems that the Mets are already winning that proverbial swap.

If you could have the reigning AL Cy Young winner on a shorter deal than the one that deGrom got instead of a pitcher who is already displaying concerning signs with his healthy, you take it almost every time. That’s what Cohen and the Mets ended up with, so they have to feel good about the end result as of now.