Links up with Mets Verlander and the Mets agreed Monday on a two-year, $86.66 million contract, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports. The contract includes a full no-trade clause and a $35 million... Impact After letting ace Jacob deGrom walk in free agency on a five-year, $185 million deal with the Rangers, the Mets secured about as strong of a replacement at the top of the rotation as they could have in Verlander, who took home his third Cy Young Award in 2022. Though he'll be turning 40 years old in February and missed the entire 2021 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Verlander demonstrated that he's still one of the game's elite starters by posting an 18-4 record, 1.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 185:29 K:BB in 175 innings this past season. The move from the reigning World Series champions to another team with title aspirations in the Mets shouldn't hurt Verlander too much from a wins standpoint, nor should the change in home ballpark from Minute Maid Park to Citi Field hinder his ratios. Expect Verlander to be one of the first pitchers off the board in 2023 fantasy drafts.
DECEMBER 5, 2022 • ROTOWIRE