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Former MLB Exec Predicts Rangers' Jacob deGrom Will Take Home Some Hardware

Originally posted on Texas Rangers on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 8:00 PM ET

The Texas Rangers knew they were taking a risk when they signed Jacob deGrom to a five-year, $185 million deal ahead of the 2023 season.

He was struggling to stay healthy with the New York Mets toward the end of his tenure with that franchise. 2019 was the last time, prior to signing with the Rangers, that he made more than 15 starts in a year. There was a chance those injury woes would follow him to Texas, but the franchise felt the reward outweighed the risk.

In the early going, it certainly didn’t seem so. Six starts into his Rangers career, deGrom suffered an elbow injury. Tommy John surgery was required and he missed the remainder of the campaign. Through some hard work, he was able to get on the mound for three starts down the stretch of 2024 so he could have a normal offseason.

Those three starts set the table for what was to come. Finally healthy, he has looked like his normal self during the 2025 season. Shockingly, he has been the only Rangers starting pitcher not to miss time because of injuries, and he has remained as dominant as ever.

Jacob deGrom Predicted To Win Comeback Player of the Year Award

As a result, it is little surprise that the two-time National League Cy Young Award winner was recognized by Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) for his performance. The former MLB executive made predictions for how things would unfold in the award races. deGrom is his selection for Comeback Player of the Year.

It was anyone’s guess what deGrom would provide Texas this year. There was hope that he could return to the form he showed with the Mets, but there was no concrete evidence of that being possible. The team had to get him on the mound and see what he had to offer. Evidently, he has plenty left in the tank.

A major adjustment was made to his approach on the mound this year. Looking to keep him as healthy as possible, the Rangers worked on a game plan that included him toning down his velocity. It has worked seeing that he hasn’t missed a start this season, and it hasn’t negatively impacted his performance.

deGrom has been excellent this year. When Nathan Eovaldi was healthy, the two combined to be one of the best starting pitching duos in the MLB. He has managed to make a team-high 29 starts, throwing 167.2 innings. 177 strikeouts have been recorded with a 3.01 ERA.

If Texas is able to sneak into the postseason, he's going to be a major reason why. Anchoring the rotation in the fashion that he has isn’t something even the most optimistic of people could have been expecting.