“Jacob deGrom could make 25 starts for this team" - Rangers insider predicts a strong return for 2x Cy Young winner after offseason rehab

Jacob deGrom is one of the best pitchers of his generation. However, injuries have limited his availability in recent years. The two-time Cy Young Award has been nearly unhittable when he is healthy and on the mound. That being said, those moments have not exactly been a common occurrence.

The star was limited to 10.2 innings in 2024 for the Texas Rangers after returning from Tommy John Surgery, which he underwent in 2023. Now that deGrom has recovered from the UCL surgery, the Rangers will be hoping that he can become an elite contributor again. This is something that MLB insider Evan Grant believes is possible.

The long-time believes that deGrom could be ready to return to superstar form in 2025. Grant spoke about the four-time All-Star on Thursday's episode of Foul Territory, sharing plenty of optimism about the starting pitcher.

"He's free. He's actually thrown a bullpen already this winter, and I think his mind is clearer than it's been in years. But I also think that the Rangers do want to take some. I don't want to say precautions, but they want to monitor him here. I don't think they want him to go all out," Grant said.

The Rangers will undoubtedly be cautious when it comes to the innings that deGrom will pitch in 2025, especially at the beginning of the season. The 36-year-old has not thrown more than 100 innings since 2019, which happened to be the last time he won the Cy Young Award.

"I don't think it's unreasonable to think that Jacob deGrom could make 25 starts for this team. He's in a better place to go out and attack the season and he feels like he's got some real definition that 'Hey, everything is now okay and completely rebuilt,'" Grant added.

The Texas Rangers have enough pitching depth that they could ease Jacob deGrom into a full workload

Even though deGrom is healthy and will be looking to prove that he is still one of the best pitchers, the Texas Rangers have enough pitching depth that they won't need him to be an ace right out of the gates. Thanks to veteran pitchers such as Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray and Tyler Mahle, deGrom will be able to take extended rest if he needs.

The team also has some intriguing young pitchers looking to establish themselves as everyday players in the Majors, such as Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, who could help ease the burden. It will be interesting to see how well the Rangers can do this year if Jacob deGrom remains healthy throughout the season.