What Life Could Look Like For The Mets After Jacob DeGrom

It is the morning after the night before and life after Jacob deGrom starts now for the New York Mets, who face a plethora of key decisions that will define their offseason and perhaps the entire 2023 campaign.

The dust still hasn’t settled on the blockbuster news that deGrom has opted to take his talents elsewhere in free agency, signing a five-year, $185 million contract with the Texas Rangers. The deal also includes a conditional sixth-year option and a full no-trade clause. It is a significant transaction for the Rangers who are just a year removed from spending a combined $500 million on Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.

While the possibility of deGrom playing elsewhere always loomed large this winter, the fact that it has now become reality leaves a lot of question marks for the Mets who must now proceed ahead without their face of the franchise and one of the best pitchers in all of baseball.

There are two sides to this too. Firstly, there’s the emotional aspect of what unfolded on Friday. There was no doubt that deGrom was the face of this organization and he was meant to be a forever Met. He was meant to carry this franchise to World Series wins and retire as a Met before going to the Hall of Fame. Drafted and developed by this team, deGrom leaving was always going to be a sad day and that melancholy feeling will linger for a while.

However, baseball is a business and it became clear early on that the Mets had a number in mind they were willing to go to and not exceed when it came to term. Ultimately, the Rangers, who are desperate to exit baseball purgatory, were determined to give deGrom the entire world and more and the length of the deal and the mega bucks was what ultimately made the ace starter’s decision for him. Sports is a cold, ruthless business and that has to be remembered this weekend.

As for what is next, the possibilities are endless for the Mets. Their biggest priority heading into the Winter Meetings on Sunday will be to replace deGrom with an elite arm that can pair with Max Scherzer at the top of the rotation. Per Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the front office seem very interested in bringing three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander to New York.

Verlander, who was teammates with Scherzer in Detroit with the Tigers, is coming off a stellar 2022 season in which he won the American League Cy Young and a World Series, and he seems built to thrive on the big stage in New York. While he will be 40 in 2023, Verlander would certainly be equipped to help the Mets win next year and perhaps even the year after that. His MLB best 1.75 ERA in 2022 proves that the veteran still has plenty good baseball left in him.

If not Verlander, then the Mets also remain engaged with Carlos Rodón who is much younger at 29 and who has put together two elite years with both the Chicago White Sox and then the San Francisco Giants. With deGrom now officially a figure of the past for this team, it does seem as though one of Verlander or Rodón will end up pitching in Queens in 2023. Which one remains to be seen for now.

General manager Billy Eppler has also spoken with Japanese star Kodai Senga, one of the most intriguing free agents available this winter, with the rest of the rotation also needing rebuilding. Outside of Scherzer, only Carlos Carrasco is a nailed on certainty for the Mets next year and the likes of Senga, Jameson Taillon, Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi could all make very good middle-of-the-rotation starters. There is also the possibility that the front office could look to bring back Chris Bassitt after a very solid first year in Queens in 2022.

Andy Martino of SNY has reported that the Mets are determined to sign one of Verlander or Rodòn, then a middle-of-the-rotation starter from the next category of pitchers below the elite level. With that in mind, it does seem as though pitching is the most pressing priority for the front office this offseason.

Despite signing elite closer Edwin Diaz to a record-breaking and historic five-year, $102 million contract earlier this offseason, the bullpen also needs rebuilding and Eppler must right his wrongs from the trade deadline by actually going out and acquiring a high-leverage lefty arm. There are options out there, including the likes of Andrew Chafin and Matt Moore.

Outside of pitching, the biggest question mark left facing this team is whether or not they want to bring Brandon Nimmo back to Queens and sign him to a big-ticket, multi-year deal. Nimmo established himself as an elite leadoff hitter in 2023, he really set the tone for the offense and he improved his glove in the field. Plus, like deGrom, Nimmo was a respected figure within the clubhouse and losing two leaders in the same offseason could be tough.

Should Nimmo leave, the Mets would need to add another bat to the lineup and they could bring back a familiar face in Michael Conforto, while former Rookie of the Year and MVP Cody Bellinger could also be an intriguing option on a one-year, prove-it type deal. When it comes to the DH spot, it has been reported that the front office will address that internally with a number of prospects ready to compete at the major league level.

Overall, deGrom leaving was very much a business decision and while it marks the end of an era for both team and player, the show must go on for the Mets. They can not sit in a chair and waste time being sentimental and reminiscing about a lost friend, instead they must now turn the page and get right back to business because life after deGrom starts now and what this team does over the coming days and weeks will shape what lies ahead in 2023 and beyond.

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