Justin Verlander’s age is not a Mets worry

SAN DIEGO — In assessing the probability Justin Verlander will continue at a high level into his 40s, the Mets dug into the analytics and also asked questions.

“The integrity of the tools and his stuff, it was there — that gives us a lot of confidence,” general manager Billy Eppler said Wednesday in officially announcing Verlander’s two-year contract with the club. “How he takes care of himself, understanding his regimen, some of the questions we asked him were how he takes care of his body and some of the things he’s learned over time. This guy is a consummate professional.”

Verlander, 39, will receive $86.6 million over the two years of the contract. The deal includes a third-year vesting option worth another $35 million.

Last year’s American League Cy Young award winner with Houston will carry the burden of replacing Jacob deGrom, who departed for Texas last week on a five-year deal worth $185 million. From Eppler’s perspective, the Mets lost one ace and gained another.

“These are both really high-end, championship-caliber pitchers,” Eppler said. “I think we would be able to count on just over one hand how many types of these pitchers there are in the game right now, so when you can grab one, and in our case we feel we have two [including Max Scherzer], that is pretty special.”

Verlander and Scherzer spent five seasons together in the same rotation with the Tigers and competed against each to the point their relationship strained, according to a person with knowledge of the dynamic, but Eppler indicated he doesn’t expect the past to become an issue.

Eppler was asked if he spoke with Scherzer before pursuing Verlander.

“I talk to Max about a lot of the acquisitions that we are thinking about and a lot of things we are trying to do,” Eppler said. “These guys are championship-caliber players and very thirsty to win. We’re excited to put that 1-2 punch together at the top.”

Verlander’s recruitment began with a Zoom call and extended to another in which the pitcher had questions for the Mets.

“He wanted to ask more details about the organization and how we operate,” Eppler said. “He wanted to ask me a little about how I thought we would fill out the roster and what some of the ideas were. This guy is committed to winning.”

Eppler was asked if Verlander’s addition would preclude the Mets from other big-ticket items, which includes the possibility of a reunion with free-agent Brandon Nimmo.

“The biggest takeaway here is Steve [Cohen] is committed to winning,” Eppler said, referring to the Mets owner. “I am thankful to work for him.”