hardball Joel Sherman Why standard for Hall of Fame pitchers must evolve or MLB risks extinction of elected aces By Joel Sherman Published March 7, 2026, 11:25 a.m. ET Jacob deGrom has less than 100 career wins and yet is on a Hall of Fame trajectory. Getty Images SURPRISE, Ariz. — Turn away purists. Really, I do not want your soul to hurt as much as it is about to, so look off there in the distance and certainly do not read the following:
Jacob deGrom has 96 career wins … and a pathway to the Hall of Fame.
Now, do not confuse a pathway to certainty. He has work to do from here to Cooperstown. It is just that deGrom feels like the greatest active test case to a question we are nearing having to contemplate: What does a Hall of Fame starting pitcher look like going forward?
Clayton Kershaw retired after last season and is now five years away from a breeze into the Hall. Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander — also known as the two oldest players in the majors this year — are not far behind. You want to take Gerrit Cole, a hybrid between the workhorses of yore and the short-dash starters of today, off the game board too, go ahead. Take Chris Sale too if you want.
