Rangers view Jacob deGrom as a 'pitcher determined to succeed into his late 30s'

Despite the risk of inking 35-year-old Jacob deGrom to a lucrative five-year contract, the Texas Rangers are confident they made the right choice, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. 

The Rangers shook the baseball world Friday night, signing the former New York Mets ace to a deal valued at $185 million, which ends after the 2028 season when deGrom will be 40 years old. However, unbothered by deGrom's age, the Rangers believe he has "Hall of Fame aspirations" and is "determined to succeed into his late 30s." 

Whether or not the Rangers paid too much for deGrom is up for debate. And we'll all have to wait and see how the contract ages. But Rosenthal balked at the thought of deGrom making more than 25 starts and pitching 150 innings next season, numbers likely to decrease significantly throughout the deal. 

Though, the Rangers are operating in the here and now, viewing deGrom as an immediate "potential franchise-changer," and felt it was worth all the risk that comes with committing to an aging pitcher with a history of shoulder and forearm problems. 

deGrom missed the final three months of the 2021 season with forearm and elbow injuries and didn't pitch until August this past season after dealing with a scapula injury. The two-time Cy Young winner made 11 starts for the Mets in 2022, going 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA.