Report: Justin Verlander, Mets Agree to $86M Contract After Jacob deGrom's Exit

The New York Post's Jon Heyman is reporting that the New York Mets have agreed to a two-year contract with veteran right-handed pitcher Justin Verlander.

The deal includes an option for a third year, according to Heyman.

The player option for the Houston Astros was declined by the 39-year-old. He was expected to go for a bigger contract.

His decision to leave Houston is somewhat of a surprise since the team tried to keep him. After the Astros won the World Series in 2022, Crane said that he and Baker had a good relationship with Verlander.

Verlander helped the team contend for titles year after year.

Verlander is a large part of that. Crane told reporters that he hoped they could keep him for next year. I will call him tomorrow to see what he wants to do.

He wants to win hundreds of games. It's a good place to do it. There's a good team. You don't want to go to a place where you can't do that.

Verlander joined the Astros in a trade from the Detroit Tigers.

One of the best seasons of his career was put together by the nine-time All-Star, who went 21 wins with a 2.58 earned run average and 300 strikeouts in 34 starts. He finished 11th in the voting for the Most Valuable Player in the American League.

The 2020 and 2021 seasons were not nice to him. After undergoing Tommy John surgery, he missed the entire 2021.

Verlanders bounce back with an impressive year despite concerns about his age and durability. He won his third Cy Young Award after posting an 18-4 record with a.....................

After struggling in the playoffs during his career, Verlander helped the Astros win the World Series title in 2022. In the fifth game of the Fall Classic, he gave up one run to help the Astros win.

The news of Verlander signing with the Mets doesn't come as much of a surprise, since it was reported in November that the team was considering pursuing him.

Following the departure of Jacob deGrom, the Mets began to pursue him more.

Verlander will join a rotation that also includes Max and Carlos. It's possible that he's the team's No. 1 and that he's also the team's No. 2.

The Astros' rotation won't be as bad without Verlander. Houston can return to World Series contention with the help of Framber Valdez, Lance McCullers Jr., and others.