When a team loses one of its star pitchers to free agency, you would think there would be a major drop-off.
Then there are the New York Mets.
After losing one of their stud pitchers in two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom, the Mets surely were glanced at with a skeptical eye by NY sportsbooks.
Then the Mets brought in Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, who won the prize for top AL pitcher with the Houston Astros. The Mets gave Verlander a massive contract (two years, $86.6 million) to replace deGrom.
DeGrom, now 34, signed a five-year, $185 million dollar contract with the Texas Rangers. After two years of injuries, he is shooting for 30-plus starts this season for Texas.
So, where does that leave the Mets? Well, not only are Verlander (age 40 to start the season) and Max Scherzer (38) the most expensive starting pitcher duo of the last five MLB seasons, they are the oldest for such a high price.
NewYorkBets.com, home of top picks for NY betting apps, analyzed the deal and the expectations over the next few years for the Mets.
Highest-Paid 1-2 Pitching Rotations
The Mets’ No. 1 starter currently is Scherzer. As you can tell from above, he was part of four of the top five highest priced pitching duos in the last five years.
Last season, he teamed up with deGrom to form the second highest duo at a combined $79.3 million dollars. With Verlander now in the mix, moving to the No. 2 spot in the rotation, Scherzer becomes part of the highest-paid duo at a combined $86.6 million, a $7.3 million increase from last year.
Scherzer teamed up with Stephen Strasburg for the 2019-2020 Washington Nationals at a combined $70.9 million for the third spot in the top five, and then was No. 5 with David Price on the 2021 Los Angeles Dodgers at a combined $66.6 million.
Verlander teamed up with Zack Greinke for the No. 4 duo for the 2020-2021 Astros at a combined $68 million.
NewYorkBets.com offers analysis such as this story on the state’s pro sports teams as well as provides the best NY betting promos.
DraftKings Updated Team Futures
As of late Friday morning, the Mets are tied with the San Diego Padres for second to capture the National League pennant at +475 (behind the Los Angeles Dodgers at +330) at DraftKings Sportsbook in New York MLB betting.
To win the World Series, the Mets are the fourth favorite at +1000, tied with the Padres and their NL East Division foe, the Atlanta Braves.
With the deGrom signing, the Rangers are the seventh favorite to win the American League at +1800, tied with the Cleveland Guardians and Boston Red Sox.
To win their first World Series title ever, the Rangers are listed at +3500 for 13th, tied with the Guardians, Baltimore Orioles and Red Sox.
Keep an eye out for DraftKings New York promo codes as well as for other operators in the state.
