Sources - New York Mets, Justin Verlander reach agreement

[Halldan1]

Sources: Mets, Verlander reach 2-year, $86M deal

Justin Verlander, who won his third Cy Young Award after leading the Astros to the World Series title, has a 2-year deal with the Mets, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

www.espn.com

ESPN News Services

Three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander has agreed to a two-year, $86 million deal with the New York Mets, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Monday.

The deal includes a vesting third-year option, a source told ESPN.

Verlander, who turns 40 in February, returned from Tommy John surgery to lead the Houston Astros to their second World Series championship in 2022. He had the lowest ERA in the majors and was a unanimous winner of his third Cy Young Award -- becoming the first player to earn the prize after not pitching in the previous season.

He went 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 28 starts this past season and made his ninth All-Star team. He won Game 5 in Philadelphia for the first World Series victory of his illustrious career, then became a free agent this month.

After losing Jacob deGrom via free agency, the Mets will pair Verlander atop their rotation with Max Scherzer.

Verlander made only one start in 2020 because of his elbow injury and missed the entire 2021 season while recovering from surgery.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

[SHU_Pirate1]

Don’t know what he’s got left in the tank but it’ll sure be nice to see Kate Upton at home games 😻🤩

 

[Burnsly]

$80 mil a year for 2 pitchers, 39 &40. What could possibly go wrong.

 

[newshu1]

$80 mil a year for 2 pitchers, 39 &40. What could possibly go wrong.

Over/ Under total games combined pitched has been set at 15.5

 

[TheHall87]

Over/ Under total games combined pitched has been set at 15.5

Take the over.

There is little to suggest even at his age that Verlander won't take the ball consistently and at a high level.

Since 2006 he has failed to make at least 30 starts four times. Two of them were the years recovering from his TJ surgery. One was this past season when he slacked off to 28 after missing the almost all of the previous two seasons. He pitched to a 1.75 ERA over 175 innings.

Likewise Scherzer has 30 or more starts in every full season since 2009 with the exception of 27 in 2019 and 23 last season.

I would pay these guys big money long before I'd give it to Carlos Rodon.

 

[SHU_Pirate1]

Welcome to NY!!! 🙌😍❤️