NEW YORK — Justin VerlanderThe phone rang in November. New York food owner Steve Cohen was on the line.
“It really wasn’t a baseball call. It was just a ‘Hey, it’s Steve. You are justin. Let me get to know you a bit,'” the pitcher recalled on Tuesday.
That conversation led to a two-year, $86.7 million contract on Dec. 12. 5, an agreement that was finalized two days later.
The three-time Cy Young Award winner was introduced during a press conference at Citi Field. Verlander joins his former Detroit teammate Max Scherzer at the top of the rotation, and effectively replaces Jacob of Gromwho left New York and agreed to a five-year, $185 million contract with Texas.
“I would expect the pool and ping-pong games to maybe take another level,” Mets general manager Billy Eppler said of adding another hypercompetitive player to his clubhouse.
New York, seeking its first World Series title since 1986, has raised its luxury tax payroll to around $360 million next year, on track for a record tax of around $85 million. .
Entering their third season under Cohen, the Mets have committed $476.7 million to seven free agents. They also added starting pitchers Kodai Senga and Jose Quintanaretained center fielder Brandon Nimmo and closer Edwin Diazsigned reliever David Robertson and reached an agreement with the receiver Omar Narvaez who is waiting for a physical.
“We just talked about putting the best team possible on the field and letting winning guide the decisions,” Eppler said. now it was important to be able to create a club in which we really feel good.
Verlander said he was told Cohen would call him.
“When I look back on the process, that’s one of the things that I think gave me insight into how Steve views the organization and it’s not just an investment for him,” said the 39-year-old right-hander. “He wants to put his finger on or know intimately the people who are involved in this thing, and what more could you ask for as a player than that?”
When Cohen called, Verlander knew the Mets were waiting for a decision from deGrom, a 34-year-old two-time Cy Young Award winner who has been injured for much of the past two seasons.
“He’s iconic here at this stadium and for this organization,” Verlander said. “I don’t think it’s fair for him or for me to make that decision before he makes his decision.”
But Verlander said he himself “took a leap of faith…and I think that leap of faith paid off.”
Verlander’s wife, model Kate Upton, sat front row in a purple pantsuit with their 4-year-old daughter, Genevieve, and watched the pitcher put on a number. Jersey 35 Mets.
“Billy has a vision, knows the team intimately and what puzzle pieces are best suited to make the complete puzzle,” the nine-time All-Star said. “But, at the end of the day, some of these parts don’t come cheap.”
Eppler said deGrom’s contract was way longer than the Mets were comfortable with and that “it kind of fit our timeline with Justin.”
We were comfortable doing that one, especially after interviewing him a bit and understanding how he takes care of his body, how he takes care of his body — all aspects, okay, that it be sleep, nutrition, stretching, ”
Returning from Tommy John surgery in September 2020, Verlander went 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA in the major league this year in 28 starts for the Astros and took his career high to 244-133. He also earned his first win in nine career World Series starts in Game 5 as Houston defeated Philadelphia in six games, earning his second World Series ring.
Verlander is guaranteed $43,333,333 in each of the next two seasons, which is Scherzer’s annual salary under a three-year, $130 million deal through 2024. Verlander has a player option $35 million conditional for 2025.
He said he “also liked the vibe” of New York due to an offseason he spent with Upton in Battery Park City.
“When I was able to live here and really understand the city and feel the vibe and get to know the grid a little better, it really opened my mind to how good this city is, and I’m so thankful Now Looking back, I had that time, because it’s really exhilarating,” Verlander said.
Returning from core muscle surgery in January 2014 and then elbow surgery, Verlander said he continued to pitch because of “what a bad example it would be for my daughter” to retire.
“Why should I put in all this time, effort, work, sacrifice and sell myself short in the end?” he said. “It’s like running a marathon and stopping a mile from the finish line. I’m maybe 10 miles from the finish line.
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