Matt Johnson
The Texas Rangers made starting pitcher Jacob deGrom one of the highest-paid MLB players in 2023 by signing him to a five-year, $185 million contract. However, the specific details of the agreement will both help and hurt Texas as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
deGrom will undergo season-ending elbow surgery after tests determined the UCL in his pitching elbow needed to be surgically repaired. In a best-case scenario, he would return by the All-Star Break in 2024.
- Jacob deGrom career stats: 2.53 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 1,652 strikeouts in 1,356.1 innings
It’s a massive setback for a team that entered the week near the top of the MLB power rankings. Texas is one of the best teams in baseball this season, establishing itself as a World Series contender that hoped deGrom would assist with during a playoff run.
Instead, recurring issues with his arm over the last three seasons took a toll on the 6-foot-4 righty. The Rangers knew the risks when they signed him in free agency, with the durability concerns part of the reason why the New York Mets let him walk and signed Justin Verlander.
- Jacob deGrom contract: $30 million salary (2023), $40M salary (’24-’25), $38M salary (’26), $37M salary (’27), $20 million club option in 2028
While the Rangers have the next two months to determine how they will fill the void in their rotation, the contract they signed deGrom to this offseason will both hurt and help the organization moving forward.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote in May that Texas didn’t insure deGrom’s $185 million contract. The franchise viewed insurance on the deal as “prohibitively expensive”. If the contract was insured, as the New York Mets did with Edwin Diaz, deGrom’s salary this season would’ve been covered.
However, Texas did protect itself in other ways. The Rangers included a conditional option in 2028 that would be triggered if deGrom landed on the injured list and missed 130 consecutive days during the season with an elbow or shoulder injury.
With deGrom now undergoing Tommy John surgery, resulting in the Cy Young Award winner being sidelined until next summer, Texas will hold a $20 million club option in 2028 that it can decline.
