The Texas Rangers got the free agent market moving last week when they signed right-hander Jacob deGrom to a five-year, $185 million contract.
Since then, big names such as Trea Turner, Justin Verlander, Xander Bogaerts, Willson Contreras, and Aaron Judge have come off the board.
The Rangers have been adamant about adding some starting pitching this offseason.
They had already acquired Jake Odorizzi in a trade with the Atlanta Braves and re-signed lefty Martin Perez.
But today, deGrom finally arrived in Texas to make his new deal official.
The Rangers tweeted a video of his arrival, which features the veteran right-hander politely holding a door open before passing through himself.
He’s here and he’s perfect. ✨ pic.twitter.com/NcFqM0WkHS
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) December 8, 2022
deGrom Arrives In Texas
You can bet people in Texas are excited about the Rangers’ new addition.
deGrom has dealt with several injuries over the past few years, but returned to form in 2022 after being out with a shoulder issue, going 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA and pitching a gem in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series, helping the New York Mets force a deciding Game 3 against the San Diego Padres.
But the Rangers had been lacking an ace at the top of their rotation.
They had signed Jon Gray last offseason, along with a few big bats in Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and Brad Miller.
That wasn’t enough for them to avoid losing 94 games, however.
Now, the Rangers have both deGrom and Perez at the top of their starting rotation and appear ready to make some noise in the AL West for the first time since 2016.
It all starts with deGrom.
NEXT: MLB Insider Breaks Down The Jacob deGrom Contract