The Lamborghini Veneno of pitching, as I called Jacob deGrom, now sits in the driveway of the Rangers. Sticker price: $185 million over five years, which covers deGrom from ages 35 to 39. And with the pitching beauty you get from deGrom—the most elevated quality of stuff we have ever seen on a mound—you get all that worry about maintenance.
Forget breaking down this contract for value. Nobody ever bought a Lambo or a yacht and bragged about cost efficiency. deGrom is a luxury item: the best pitcher in baseball who needs extra rest and does not pitch deep into games consistently.