With Jacob deGrom officially elsewhere, the New York Mets, without further ado, have got to pivot in no time.
The team now desperately needs an ace atop their starting rotation. Luckily, per a few reports, the Mets plan to make an imminent splash for one.
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Mets in on Justin Verlander, per reports:
Shortly after deGrom to the Rangers was a done deal, Andy Martino of SNY was the first to state that the Mets have strong interest in Justin Verlander. Earlier this morning, Jon Heyman of The New York Post shared that the Mets and Yankees both happen to be in on the top two remaining starters, Verlander and Carlos Rodon. Heyman said that the Mets seem “more intrigued” by Verlander.
Martino went as far to say that the Mets do not even necessarily look at Verlander as a backup plan to deGrom. They have reportedly been impressed by him throughout this process.
Certainly, while the deGrom news is tough to process, it is more than encouraging to see that the Mets are supposedly very active in Verlander’s market.
Age is, of course, the main concern most have with Verlander, as he will turn 40 in February. Still, with this Mets team in win-now mode for 2023, if there was ever a time to be aggressive for someone older, it would be now. Plus, the Mets have to act swiftly for an ace with the options now more limited with deGrom off the board.
Despite his older age, Verlander did prove as recently as the World Series just how dominant he can still be. He posted a ridiculous 18-4 record in 2022 with a special 1.75 ERA. All in all, it is fair to expect that he still has at least one more great year left in the tank, which is what the Mets need right now.
It will certainly be fascinating to see how things play out now with one of the three aces off the market. Based on reports, the good thing is that it seems like the Mets know they need to make something happen fast. Now, it will just be waiting until they make something official.