Jacob deGrom was signed by the Texas Rangers via a 5-year/$185M contract. The deal makes deGrom leave the New York Mets after spending nine seasons with the NL team, where he won multiple CY Young Awards. deGrom, 35, is a future hall of fame pitcher, but there is one factor that has defined his career: injuries.
The righty has suffered multiple injures and setbacks over the last three seasons. Spending time on the IL has only allowed deGrom to appear in 38 games from 2020-22, for example he played in 32 games in a healthy 2019 season.
The 35-year-old has already spent time on the Rangers' IL due to an injury in a pre spring training game practice. Overall deGrom is a great pitcher, but he may have the Rangers' front office regret giving such a large contract to a player who may not even pitch in 15 games this season.
According to Baseball Reference, Jacob deGrom is projected to pitch under 110 innings along with a save to his name and an ERA below 3.00 with Texas.
If Jacob deGrom is used as a long-leverage relief pitcher, it will undoubtedly prolong his usage due to a smaller chance of injury.
Having deGrom as a relief pitcher will be a failure for Texas as the team signed him to be their projected number one starter in the rotation. Nevertheless it will be fun to see deGrom play in the Wild West, it's just a matter of how long he will be playing this season.
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