When he is healthy, there may be no better pitcher in baseball than Jacob deGrom. That is why the Texas Rangers signed him to a five-year $185 million contract before the 2023 season. But in the two years since, he has thrown just 41 innings. He has pitched through spring training and should be healthy for the 2025 season. deGrom spoke with USA Today’s Bob Nightengale about his aspirations to make the Baseball Hall of Fame and what he needs to do with the Rangers to make it to Cooperstown.
“Obviously, the highest honor you can get is to be elected to the Hall of Fame,” deGrom told Nightengale, “That was the goal. There’s some things that set me back, but I think I’ve got some years ahead of me to keep doing this so we’ll see where that takes me.”
The Rangers are relying on deGrom to be the ace that made him a Hall of Fame caliber player with the Mets. From 2018-2021, he made 91 starts with a 1.94 ERA. deGrom won the Cy Young in 2018 and ’19 and finished third in 2020. But the injuries started and his Mets career spiraled from there. The Rangers bought the potential and they need to see it pay off this year.
The Rangers have an intriguing rotation
Nathan Eovaldi will get the Opening Day start for the Rangers for the second consecutive year. Bruce Bochy said he wanted to give deGrom a few extra days off after spring training. While he did return from Tommy John surgery late last year, they must be careful with his elbow.
Behind those two veterans, the Rangers have two of the brightest pitching prospects in the game. Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter dominated hitters together at Vanderbilt and should both make the Opening Day rotation. They were both drafted in the first round and should blossom into MLB stars.
The fifth spot is up for grabs after Jon Gray was put on the injured list with a broken wrist. The Rangers signed Patrick Corbin to a one-year deal after putting Gray on the injured list. Without the pressure of a big contract like he had with Washington, Corbin could shine in Texas.
The Rangers won’t go anywhere this year if deGrom is hurt again. Their injuries in 2024 were too much to overcome, falling short of the playoffs after their World Series win. The rotation is solid but won’t be elite unless deGrom returns to his Hall of Fame caliber.
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