Last offseason, there was a lot of hope and expectations about the New York Mets‘ newly-assembled one-two rotation punch of Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer.
deGrom had been on the franchise for years, since 2014, but the team signed Scherzer last year to a huge three-year, $130 million deal.
There was a lot of talk about how the Mets had the best one-two combo, and they did.
For health-related reasons, they weren’t both available at the same time for a long period, but when they did, teams definitely felt the impact of going to bat against two of the best pitchers of our generation.
But deGrom decided to leave in free agency this year, to sign with the Texas Rangers.
Fans thought that they wouldn’t have a stellar duo at the top of the rotation and if there was someone who could guarantee that the elite one-two punch would still be a thing, it was Justin Verlander.
Luckily for the Mets, they were able to secure his services for $86 million, to be paid over the next two campaigns.
An Exciting 1-2 Punch
The Mets’ general manager, Billy Eppler, discussed the situation, and said he was “excited” to see Scherzer and Verlander pitch.
“Asked about the relationship between Scherzer and Verlander, Billy Eppler said he talks ‘to Max about a lot of the acquisitions that we’re thinking about.’ ‘These guys are championship-caliber players, and very thirsty to win. We’re excited to put that 1-2 punch together,'” Mets insider Anthony DiComo tweeted.
Asked about the relationship between Scherzer and Verlander, Billy Eppler said he talks "to Max about a lot of the acquisitions that we're thinking about."
"These guys are championship-caliber players, and very thirsty to win. We're excited to put that 1-2 punch together."
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) December 8, 2022
Verlander and Scherzer pitched together for years in the Detroit Tigers at the beginning of last decade.
They even went to a World Series together, in 2012, but lost to the San Francisco Giants.
They are both elite competitors that don’t tolerate losing.
Verlander just won the AL Cy Young and posted a 1.75 ERA; so yes: he will be a nice deGrom replacement.
After all, the Mets will have their 1-2 rotation punch in 2023, just with a different pitcher.
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Koos says
If they get50+ starts from these guys they should make the playoffs.