Are The Texas Rangers Stealth Suitors For Jacob deGrom?
We know that Steve Cohen isn’t getting outbid but what if that’s not the end-all be-all for Jacob deGrom? There have always been whispers that deGrom prefers to go back south where he’s from. When free agency opens up this Winter, reports are indicating it’s possible the Texas Rangers become stealth suitors to pry deGrom away from the Mets.
VIA John Heyman of the NY Post:
“The Rangers are intent on adding a big-time starter, and word is they may go for Jacob deGrom. Folks marvel at how MLB’s best pitcher is throwing better than ever off his 13-month layoff, and while there aren’t a lot of teams ready to take a $40 million gamble, the Rangers might.
“Rangers baseball president Chris Young wouldn’t address any specific pitching targets but said they “will leave no stone unturned” in their search to upgrade pitching a year after they significantly upgraded offense.”
“There’s been a lot of speculation about whether the DeLand, Fla., product deGrom prefers to leave New York and go south, though most speculation centers on the Braves. From here it’s hard to see a corporate team taking that risk.”
The Rangers are a bit of a mess right now so it’s hard to take them totally seriously. It wasn’t long ago that they fired long-time president, Jon Daniels. However, Chris Young pitched 13 years at the MLB level. His heart and soul is pitching. Now that he totally runs the show, maybe the deGrom rumors are real. Keep in mind, the Rangers went pitching back to back years in the MLB Draft with Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker. It’s something Young is obviously going to value.
The Braves are currently seen as favorites to land the future Hall of Famer. The Mets certainly won’t go down without a fight. The location thing is clearly going to be the biggest thing working against them. If deGrom wants to go south (from Florida) then maybe the Mets should be worried here.
We might have some serious fireworks this offseason. With the Aaron Judge home run chase going on, it’s interesting to imagine that contract that’s coming.
