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When your team hasn't seen the postseason berth in six years and
has a pitching staff consistently among the game's worst, the need for
change is obvious. And so it is that Jacob deGrom became a Texas
Ranger.
Signing a five-year, $185 million contract over the winter, the two-
time Cy Young winner represents a significant upgrade and a signifi-
cant gamble on the part of the Rangers. Yes, when the righthander is
healthy, he's arguably the best pitcher in the game, as his career ERA
of 2.55 would indicate. And his arrival, along with those of righty Na-
than Eovaldi and lefty Andrew Heaney, served notice to the rest of the
league that the Rangers are officially in win now mode.
But in recent years, the 34-year-old Floridian has looked increasing-
ly fragile. He missed the second half of 2021 with inflammation in his
pitching elbow. Then last season, a stress reaction in his right shoulder
kept him out all year until August. And when he returned, the Mets,
his former team, kept him on a strict pitch limit, which they removed
when they needed him for a playoff run. And at that point he looked
very ordinary, pitching to a 1-3 record with a 4.50 ERA in five starts.
Little wonder, then, why the Mets balked at giving him more than
a three-year deal. The Rangers,
conversely, were all too eager to give
him the long-term deal he desired.
Now presumably healthy again,
he leads a revamped Texas rotation
with newcomers Eovaldi and He-
aney and returnees Jon Gray and
Martin Perez, one that the Rang-
ers faithful hope will help make
the team a force in the American
League West.
deGrom looks to put health
woes behind him in Texas
By George Dickie
playerprofile
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