The New Faces of New York

Ever since 2014, Mets fans have seen a familiar face at the front of their rotation. Ace pitcher Jacob deGrom has provided dominant performances season after season, earning him numerous accolades including the 2014 Rookie of the Year, four All-Star appearances, and back-to-back Cy Young Awards. Despite DeGrom’s success, however, the Mets have underperformed in games that mattered most, and the team has not had a deep playoff run since 2015.

After eight seasons with the Mets, DeGrom was finally a free agent. The offseason saw many teams interested in pursuing the ace, and while the Mets pushed hard to resign their coveted pitcher, the Texas Rangers succeeded in luring him to Arlington. They offered DeGrom a $185 million five-year contract, a proposition that the 34-year-old could not pass up, and within hours of his free agency, DeGrom officially became a Ranger.

Having lost their capstone pitcher, the Mets immediately went on the prowl, searching for players to fill DeGrom’s massive shoes. It didn’t take long for them to reach an agreement with Justin Verlander, former Tigers and Astros pitcher, issuing a contract worth $86.7 million. By the nature of this agreement, Verlander was set to once again share the rotation with Mets ace and former Detroit Tigers teammate Max Scherzer.

The pair created a history of dominance. Across four years, they pitched back-to-back, powering the Tigers’ pitching rotation. Scherzer and Verlander brought the city of Detroit to a World Series appearance in 2012, and Scherzer’s departure in 2014 saw the Tigers enter an eight-year playoff drought with no end in sight. After departing from Detroit, both players won World Series championships, Scherzer with the 2019 Nationals, and Verlander with the 2017 and 2022 Astros. The two have been some of the most competitive players in baseball, and throughout their careers, they have propelled each other to be the best pitchers possible. “They pushed each other and pushed each other to the point where now you’re seeing two Hall of Famers,” former MLB catcher Gerald Laird, who caught for the pair during his Tigers tenure, said.

Scherzer is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. In the 15th season, Scherzer posted a stunning 2.29 earned run average (ERA), good enough for the second lowest of his Hall of Fame career. Despite his age, it appears that the 38-year-old is getting better every season. His breaking pitches have looked as good as they have been his entire career, and despite his fastball velocity decreasing by a mile an hour, the placement of the 93 mph pitches have proved crucial to his success. Having pitched as the number two starter in the rotation behind DeGrom, Scherzer is expected to step into the ace role this season and dominate.

After missing the entirety of the 2021 season due to recovery from Tommy John surgery, Verlander and his ability to return to form were doubted by many. After a year of rehab, however, it was clear the 39-year-old had not slowed down a bit. Through 28 starts, he topped the American League in wins and led all of baseball with a 1.75 ERA, the best of his 17-year career. He was awarded the Cy Young, and he even received MVP votes. Similar to Scherzer, Verlander’s age has caused concern for Mets fans. However, given his dominance in the prior season, there is good reason to believe the reigning Cy Young winner’s $43.3 million annual salary will be worth every penny.

Come this 2023 season, the two will be reunited, looking to replicate their success in New York. They’ll be joined by the likes of Kodai Senga and José Quintana, both of whom were acquired during free agency. For Senga, a Japan native from Gamagori, it will be his first season in the MLB. Throughout the first 10 years of his career in Japan, he dominated the Japanese Pacific and Western Leagues, most notably posting an ERA of 1.94 in his 2022 season. Quintana, who received little starting time as a journeyman across the league, is set to join a starting rotation packed with starpower. The Mets see potential in him, as he posted his career-best ERA of 2.01 with his final few starts of 2022 while with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Though this year’s playoffs run ended in a heartbreaking loss to the San Diego Padres, the Mets front office is showing progress with these new breakthrough signings. The rotation, with the star pairing of Verlander and Scherzer, the masterful arm of Senga, and the comeback king Quintana, appears to be even stronger than last season. Fans are hopeful that the new talented arms will push these Mets further in the playoffs than in the previous season. They continue to chase postseason glory, and with a rotation like their current one, a championship in 2023 seems easier to grasp.