Justin Verlander states his primary goal in signing with the New York Mets is to win

Justin Verlander rocked the MLB world by signing with the New York Mets. He has made it clear that he expects to win. After a successful stint with the Houston Astros, Verlander has grown accustomed to winning. Now that he is playing for the Mets, his goal is to make sure that continues.

A commitment to winning is not a surprise from an athlete as competitive as Verlander. He would not have been able to return from two Tommy John surgeries if he wasn't competitive. His signing also speaks to the confidence he has in the New York Mets' ability to create a winning situation around him.

Justin Verlander discussed the signing with his brother, Ben Verlander, on today's episode of the "Flippin Bats" podcast.

"My goal is to win. And I couldn’t be more excited to be a Met" - Justin Verlander

It is not often the reigning Cy Young award winner switches teams. It is even less common for a pitcher of Verlander's caliber to be paired with a pitcher like Max Scherzer. Both right-handers are bonefide stars and give the Mets one of the best rotations in baseball.

As Sarah Langs points out, the Verlander and Scherzer pairing is historic.

"Justin Verlander & Max Scherzer would be the 3rd duo of 3+ Cy Young winners to pitch for the same team in the same year" - Sarah Langs

Verlander has made it clear that he intends to win, just as he did with the Houston Astros. The New York Mets have all the tools they need to reach that level if it all comes together properly.

Justin Verlander and the New York Mets are an excellent pairing, on paper

World Series - Philadelphia Phillies v Houston Astros - Game Six

After losing Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers, it became clear that the New York Mets would look to replace him. They could not do any better than sign Verlander for the next two years.

MLB analyst Jared Carrabis shared his thoughts on Verlander replacing deGrom in the Mets rotation:

"the Mets will pay roughly $172 million over the next two years to Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, who are basically both 40. Somehow the deGrom deal is more reckless" - Jared Carrabis

This highlight reel of Verlander's 2022 campaign shows why he will be valuable to the Mets:

Verlander has big shoes to fill in New York. But he has proven time and time again that he can live up to lofty expectations.