In the twilight of his illustrious career, a future Hall of Famer is embracing the uncertainty of free agency. After a frustrating season marred by injuries, the 40-year-old right-hander is looking forward to a normal offseason, eager to recharge and come back stronger next year.
Despite being limited to just nine starts this season, the three-time Cy Young Award winner remains confident in his ability to pitch at an elite level. “My body’s not fully cooperating right now, but if I can properly address everything that’s been going on and learn from what is going on with my body, I can be better next year,” he said.
A strained left hamstring forced him to miss his final scheduled start, but he’s relieved to have avoided any serious setbacks. “The only good news is now I can go into the offseason healthy. My back’s good, my arm’s good. The real serious things that you need to think about and talk about are actually in a good spot,” he explained.
With his current team unlikely to re-sign him, the eight-time All-Star will enter free agency for the third time in his career. He’s no stranger to the process, having secured lucrative deals in the past. In 2015, he signed a seven-year, $210 million contract with Washington, and in 2022, he inked a three-year, $130 million deal with New York.
Throughout his 17-year career, he’s amassed an impressive 216-112 record and 3,407 strikeouts, good for 11th on the all-time MLB list. As he looks to the future, he’s realistic about the business side of baseball, but remains optimistic about his chances of finding a new home. “I’ve been in free agency two other times in my career. I get how this goes. I’ve seen how things go and I’m realistic about it. So you’ve just got to let that take care of itself.”
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