DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - The Texas Rangers will compete at the top of the free-agent pitching market this offseason, and the latest report from one MLB insider confirms what the club has been saying all along: They want starting pitching and they are willing to pay the big bucks to get it done.
According to Audacy MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Rangers have already been in touch with Mets free-agent right-hander Jacob deGrom, and there is mutual interest between the two sides.
While Heyman reports that deGrom "has let the Rangers know he is interested in them (as well as presumably the Mets and perhaps others)," he believes Giants free-agent left-hander Carlos Rodon might be the better fit for Texas because of his age (soon to be 30) vs. deGrom's (34), and because the Rangers might still be a year away from contending for a playoff spot.
That, of course, all depends on what the Rangers do this offseason after they shelled out $561 million to shortstop Corey Seager, second baseman Marcus Semien, right-hander Jon Gray and outfielder Kole Calhoun last winter.
Even with his age and injury history seen as possible deterrents, deGrom is quantifiably sitting on a pot of free-agent gold, with only two mysteries left to unspool—who’s footing the bill and for how much? Heyman, who, along with New York Post colleague Joel Sherman, made the pilgrimage to this week’s Winter Meetings in Sin City, sees it as a two-horse race between the Mets and Rangers, though he did concede others—the Cubs, Dodgers and Giants among them—could make things interesting. And SNY's Andy Martino reported earlier this week that the Mets view the Rangers and division-rival Atlanta Braves as the two biggest threats to sign away the two-time NL Cy Young winner.
As for the cost? Heyman warned that entrants in the deGrom sweepstakes should be prepared to pay a king’s ransom, hearing from one GM that he could go for as much as $40 million annually.
deGrom, whose 2.53 career ERA ranks second among active pitchers, could make a run at teammate Max Scherzer’s record $43.3-million salary, though Heyman suspects he’ll probably have to settle for lower, owing to a lack of competition with only a handful of suitors to drive up his price.
The key to getting deGrom signed might come down to whichever team is willing to offer him a four-year deal, as reports have indicated a reluctance on the Mets part to make that long of a commitment to a player who has dealt with a variety of injuries recently.
deGrom opted out of a deal that would have paid him $30.5 million next season and given the Mets a $32.5 million team option for 2024. He was 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA in 11 starts last season after missing nearly a year due to arm and shoulder injuries, but over 38 starts between 2020-22, he has posted a 2.95 ERA and 352 strikeouts in 224 1/3 innings.
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