"Better than Roki Sasaki" - Ex-Mets GM predicts Texas Rangers ace as Cy Young favorite
There are many reasons why the Texas Rangers might be one of the most interesting teams to keep an eye on in 2025, but the return of a healthy Jacob deGrom might top the list. The two-time Cy Young Award winner has been ravaged by injuries in recent seasons, undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023, missing most of the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Nevertheless, Jacob deGrom is healthy and ready to contribute to the Texas Rangers in the upcoming season. It was a disappointing campaign for the Rangers last season, failing to defend their World Series title but missing the playoffs altogether. The return of DeGrom back to his previous elite form could be a step in the right direction for the club.
MLB Network released their list of the top 100 players, with Jacob deGrom coming at No. 99, one spot ahead of new Los Angeles Dodgers pitching phenom Roki Sasaki.
When asked about which pitcher is better, former New York Mets general manager Steve Phillips empatically declared the Texas Rangers pitcher to be his choice.
"I'm going hands down, Jacob deGrom. ... I'm telling you, when Jacob deGrom is healthy, he's got the flithiest stuff in Major League Baseball. He's healthy. I look for him to go out there, to dominate," Steve Phillips said of the veteran starter.
Before injuires limiting deGrom's contributions on the mound since 2022, the veteran pitcher was nearly untouchable.
During the 2021 season, Jacob deGrom posted a dazzling 1.08 ERA with 146 pitches over 92.0 innings for the New York Mets. If he can get back near that level, he could have a legitimate shot at adding more hardware to his impressive trophy case.
"I don't want to be a spoiler alert, but he's got a shot to be my pick for the AL Cy Young Award winner this year. That's how highly I think of him, and that's why I think he'll be better than Roki Sasaki," Phillips continued.
The Texas Rangers have enough pitching depth to be cautious with Jacob deGrom's workload
Even though DeGrom is coming into the 2025 campaign healthy, given his lengthy history with serious injuires, the Rangers might want to ease him back into a full workload. Thankfully for Texas, the club has many starting pitcher who could enter the rotation to take the pressure off of the four-time All-Star.
The Texas Rangers have a pitching staff that consists of Nathan Eovaldi, Tyler Mahle, Jon Gray, Cody Bradford, Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, who could all be called upon when needed.
The Rangers could also still add more depth before the start of the 2025 season, which could help keep DeGrom on the field. It could be a big comeback year for the potential Hall of Famer.