Memories of Jacob deGrom

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Memories of Jacob deGrom

bmfc1
Dec 02 2022 06:05 PM

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1598845205763047425[/TWEET]

whippoorwill
Dec 02 2022 06:08 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Very exciting early career and I was pleased that he ultimately outshined Harvey and Syndergaard

I wish him well. Maybe he'll return some day.

A Boy Named Seo
Dec 02 2022 06:09 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

No no no no no no

bmfc1
Dec 02 2022 06:12 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

My initial reaction, after "OH NO" and "F HIM", is that he wanted to pitch elsewhere because Steve Cohen can outbid anybody for anything if he wants to do so.

vtmet7
Dec 02 2022 06:13 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

That is a lot to pay a guy that has averaged 7 wins per season in his last 5 seasons.

metirish
Dec 02 2022 06:21 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I'm staying away from Twitter 🤣

It was certainly a pleasure to with him pitch , all the best I guess, not where I would want to end my career but that money will soften the blow

bmfc1
Dec 02 2022 06:24 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Sadly, I got this right in the "Bochy, Texas Manager" thread of October 21:

"I hope that this doesn't mean that they are "all in" for '23 to the extent that they will do anything to get Jake but Bochy wouldn't come out of retirement for a rebuild."

TransMonk
Dec 02 2022 06:30 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

He is the best pitcher I have ever rooted for.

ashie62
Dec 02 2022 06:32 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Uncle Steve was right not to pay that

Jake simply wanted to go elsewhere

Brittle body and Texas' concern now

Sign Verlander and Rodon

ashie62
Dec 02 2022 06:32 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=TransMonk post_id=113723 time=1670031025 user_id=71]
He is the best pitcher I have ever rooted for.

Over Tom?

TransMonk
Dec 02 2022 06:35 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I'm too young to have rooted for Tom. I remember Doc but not enough to appreciate his stuff at the time. Every time I watched deGrom, I was aware of his greatness.

ashie62
Dec 02 2022 06:37 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I forget I am old and remember Tom well

However, it is a close call for me regarding Jake vs Tom

Doc was mercurial

A Boy Named Seo
Dec 02 2022 06:58 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=metirish post_id=113720 time=1670030463 user_id=72]
I'm staying away from Twitter 🤣

It was certainly a pleasure to with him pitch , all the best I guess, not where I would want to end my career but that money will soften the blow

I just now re-enabled my twitter account to fully immerse myself in all the complicated feelings 🥴

Chad ochoseis
Dec 02 2022 07:02 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

My memory was that I thought he was a pretty good pitcher.

I dunno. The frequent arm trouble seems more than bad luck and the subpar September performance was too consistently off from the usual DeGrominance to be chalked up to statistical anomaly.

My wild guess, which is pretty bad but no worse than anyone else's, is that at best he has three strong seasons left in him, and $185M is way too much to pay for three strong seasons.

Sucks to lose him, but that contract can turn into an albatross. Justin Verlander has to be a very happy man right about now.

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 02 2022 07:06 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=ashie62 post_id=113726 time=1670031175 user_id=90]
=TransMonk post_id=113723 time=1670031025 user_id=71]
He is the best pitcher I have ever rooted for.

Over Tom?

Jake's underrated. He's not the best pitcher in baseball when healthy. He's the best that ever was, when healthy. That said and until I get over this, fuck him. Also, the Mets never had a chance. This was a fait accompli, going back who knows how long. Maybe more than a year. It was obvious to me, the way I saw things that he wasnt signing with the Mets.

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 02 2022 07:12 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=113731 time=1670033190 user_id=68]
=ashie62 post_id=113726 time=1670031175 user_id=90]
=TransMonk post_id=113723 time=1670031025 user_id=71]
He is the best pitcher I have ever rooted for.

Over Tom?

Jake's underrated. He's not the best pitcher in baseball when healthy. He's the best that ever was, when healthy. That said and until I get over this, fuck him. Also, the Mets never had a chance. This was a fait accompli, going back who knows how long. Maybe more than a year. It was obvious to me, the way I saw things that he wasnt signing with the Mets.

Jeez, the contract's AAV is $37M, way less than Scerzer's. The Mets didnt have a chance and it looks like they weren't even given a chance. Jake probably voted for Trump, too, he loves Texas so much.

roger_that
Dec 02 2022 07:12 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Sad, woulda liked him to retire a Met, but five years at top dollar violates my principles about signing elderly pitchers. Let the Rangers pay him for what he did (and didn't do) as a Met, and let's pay someone else to head up our starting staff.

Johnny Lunchbucket
Dec 02 2022 07:18 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

He was a simple kind of man.

metsmarathon
Dec 02 2022 07:24 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

on the bright side, our offense just got 20% better, assuming he were to have made all his starts.

Edgy MD
Dec 02 2022 07:45 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

WOW.

My memory is that he was inscrutable, and trying to predict what he'd do was folly. The guy's cards were always close to his chest. Except, of course, for the idea that maybe he kept his cards close because this was the card he always knew he'd be likely to play.

I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to play for me.

Johnny Lunchbucket
Dec 02 2022 07:49 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Let's use the $$ to get that Japanese guy and that other dude

metirish
Dec 02 2022 08:00 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Puma says the Mets never even got to make a final offer, that part hurts a little I think

whippoorwill
Dec 02 2022 08:01 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

The one that also hits?

Marshmallowmilkshake
Dec 02 2022 08:24 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

That All-Star Game performance - 10 pitches and three strikeouts.

Fman99
Dec 02 2022 08:35 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

It was a privilege to watch him pitch in a Mets uniform. I hope he goes 0-32 for the next five years though.

G-Fafif
Dec 02 2022 09:05 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Killed the idea that pitcher wins mattered all that much.

Birthed or at least gave contemporary credence to the idea that lineups never hit for one particular pitcher.

If not exactly THE best Met pitcher I ever experienced, then the best Met pitching I ever experienced on a start-in, start-out basis for the longest, most consistent stretch.

Guy who recognized a deal when he saw it.

I'll miss having a Met who almost automatically came up in MLB discussions as the best at what he does. (Diaz's presence notwithstanding.)

Ceetar
Dec 02 2022 09:25 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I probably won't see dominance like that again. That' rough. Most recent thing that sticks out in my mind was counting swinging strikes on his slider during that start last year, where they just could NOT make contact, and could NOT lay off it.

Edgy MD
Dec 02 2022 09:52 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

He didn't start on opening day until 2019, seeing Colón, Harvey, Syndergaard, and Syndergaard get the nod over him from 2015–2018. I fretted that such minor insults to his person would accumulate on the road to this day.

This was mostly irrational, but it stuck with me. If anything, the real frustrating pricks must've been the unholy lack of run support.

Despite the alleged fragility, he's been the Mets' best player almost every year since 2014, and damn close in the few years he wasn't the best.

Centerfield
Dec 02 2022 09:59 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Hey I remember that time he left and made me feel as shitty as I did when Strawberry bailed town.

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 02 2022 10:01 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Jake's played only five full seasons with the Mets: 2015-2019. He debuted in mid-May, 2014. 2020 was severely Covid-shortened. And his last two seasons were plagued by long-term injuries.

There's so many ways to measure "best". deGrom's record isn't better than Seaver's. But if I had to win just one game for all the marbles, and could pick any pitcher from any era to start that game, I'd take the healthy Jake deGrom of the last two years. And I wouldn't have to ponder that decision for even a second. Better than peak Koufax. Better than peak Pedro. Better than any pitcher that ever was or is. Including "Tom".

Gwreck
Dec 02 2022 10:25 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

As amazing as the 2018 season was, his absolute dominance in 2021 was like nothing I've ever seen.

He had more hits (as a batter) than earned runs allowed.

Frayed Knot
Dec 03 2022 04:01 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

So I went to bed early on Friday night.

Did i miss something?

Lefty Specialist
Dec 03 2022 05:10 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Dec 03 2022 05:18 AM

I'm betting the Mets let him know they weren't going to 5 years. The Rangers are idiots, but they're obviously trying to make a splash. They'll regret this most of the way.

This at least clarifies issues for Eppler/Uncle Steve, and they can get to work.

Best memory: Striking out the first 8 batters of the game. Like a man pitching against boys.

Frayed Knot
Dec 03 2022 05:15 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

So Hey Man! says that the Mets were offering 3 x $40 but that they never offered/were given the chance to match or top the 5 x $37 that JdG wound up with from Texas.

There's also reportedly a 6th year option (and those usually come with a buyout) so it's probably more like 5 x $38-40 (depending on the size of the buyout) or 6 x $37 (a good thing for the Rangers if it happens).

Hate to see him go but that's a big pill to swallow given age and recent (lack of) availability. And, as I've said here often about these deals, there always needs to be a cost at which you're willing to walk away. Reasonable folks can disagree over where that point is, but believing that there isn't one is a bad path to take.

I can definitely make the argument that bowing out was the smart move. Or I can take the stance that, given his relative lack of IPs at his age and that, despite the injuries, there's no one chronic condition acting as a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, that maybe the last two seasons were the outliers and the mostly healthy seasons before that represent the norm.

As Hey Man! also adds: 'Even the mistakes are bigger in Texas' [see: Rod, A.]

MFS62
Dec 03 2022 07:18 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I remember the ups of watching him pitch and the downs of him not being able to pitch. But remembering those times when he couldn't pitch softens this blow.

But that lack of run support - the fact that he didn't lose it in the clubhouse and start breaking furniture or teammates is a testimony to how much of a gentleman he was.

Later

smg58
Dec 03 2022 07:40 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I remember looking at his minor league stats, thinking they reminded me of Bobby Parnell's and deciding that he might be a decent reliever for a few years. But a couple of starts in it was clear he was more than that. And while Harvey, Thor, and Wheeler kept getting more attention, he quietly became the best pitcher on the team. And then he quietly became the best pitcher in the league, despite being held back by hitting/bullpen support that was criminally negligent. But dialing it up on the radar gun the way that he did should have raised more red flags. We were all too blown away by the stat line to consider it might come at a cost. He tried to fix what very clearly wasn't broken, and then it broke. And now the Rangers are paying him as if that didn't happen.

nymr83
Dec 03 2022 08:11 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=Fman99 post_id=113741 time=1670038529 user_id=86]
It was a privilege to watch him pitch in a Mets uniform. I hope he goes 0-32 for the next five years though.

over/under 32 starts?

I really wanted Jake back but 5 friggin years? pass. hard pass.

Go give Verlander 2 years at a record setting annual number.

Marshmallowmilkshake
Dec 03 2022 11:06 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

The Heyman column reminds me of the kind of stories we'd see in the Wilpon era after a player left. Downplaying his accomplishments, calling him “sullen.”

Edgy MD
Dec 03 2022 12:12 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I remember the second of a pair of consecutive highly ineffective starts in the midst of a Cy Young season came in Texas, and he was visibly crying after exiting the game.

I also remember how mockably fugly the new Rangers stadium is.

MFS62
Dec 03 2022 12:37 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Edgy MD wrote:

I also remember how mockably fugly the new Rangers stadium is.

So is their Senator.

Later

Johnny Lunchbucket
Dec 03 2022 04:49 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I'll never forget his dynamic role as a spokesman for Ford of Queens. Where Queens goes.

G-Fafif
Dec 03 2022 05:43 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Judging by the reaction every time his name was invoked at today's Queens Baseball Convention, Jacob deGrom does not have much of an answer for Janet Jackson's query, "What have you done for me lately?"

Frayed Knot
Dec 03 2022 07:54 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Judging by the reaction every time his name was invoked at today's Queens Baseball Convention, Jacob deGrom does not have much of an answer for Janet Jackson's query, "What have you done for me lately?"

Appearing in just 11 of the NYM's last 241 regular season games will tend to have that kind of effect on folks.

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 03 2022 10:45 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

[deGrom's] very much a DeLand, Fla., guy. Folks around the team say this came out in the pandemic when he openly talked against northern rules and masks and vaccinations, even though it meant extra precautions and greater risk to the team (he wasn't alone there, as the Mets were one of the least vaccinated teams).

https://nypost.com/2022/12/02/jacob-degrom-deal-shows-even-the-mistakes-are-bigger-in-texas/

Now I'm practically certain he voted for Trump. Twice. Now I'm wondering if he's flying a Confederate flag inside his home. Northern rules? Did his great-great grandfather own a cotton plantation?

And on another note, with deGrom now gone, if the Mets don't sign free agents Seth Lugo or Dom Smith, Tomas Nido will be the longest tenured active Met.

metirish
Dec 04 2022 05:52 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I am not sensing #MetTwitter meltdown over the last few days like I expected. A lot of wow that's crazy money/ years, see ya....I think many were not surprised at all...was Jake a beloved Mets player?

The Hot Corner
Dec 04 2022 07:45 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

When he was healthy, he was the best in the game. He wasn't healthy very much the past few years. I could be wrong, but I don't expect his durability and reliability to improve as he ages.

I believe the Rangers over paid. Not necessarily in $/season, but is total duration of the contract.

Johnny Lunchbucket
Dec 04 2022 08:26 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

He's gonna have a great 1st year with texas

smg58
Dec 04 2022 09:28 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Dec 04 2022 09:53 AM

=metirish post_id=113834 time=1670158379 user_id=72]
I am not sensing #MetTwitter meltdown over the last few days like I expected. A lot of wow that's crazy money/ years, see ya....I think many were not surprised at all...was Jake a beloved Mets player?

I think it's more that people understand that he got an offer that a reasonable GM wouldn't make (or try to match) and a reasonable player wouldn't refuse. There's nobody really to get mad at here. Rangers fans might get mad at their GM if deGrom spends most of the next five years on the IL, and I might get mad if he starts 150 games in that stretch, but that's not for now.

metirish
Dec 04 2022 09:41 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=smg58 post_id=113841 time=1670171298 user_id=62]
=metirish post_id=113834 time=1670158379 user_id=72]
I am not sensing #MetTwitter meltdown over the last few days like I expected. A lot of wow that's crazy money/ years, see ya....I think many were not surprised at all...was Jake a beloved Mets player?

I think it's more that people understand that he got an offer that a reasonable GM wouldn't make (or try to match) and a reasonable player wouldn't refuse. There's nobody really to get mad at here. Rangers fans might get mad at their GM if deGrom spends most of the next five years on the IL, and some of us will get mad if he starts 150 games in that stretch, but that's not for now.

That's fair

MFS62
Dec 04 2022 10:58 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

When I woke up this morning I realized I didn't feel as bad for him leaving as I thought I would.

The team won 101 games last year and he only started 11 (and won 5) of them.

I wish him well (just not against the Mets) and hope the team will sign pitchers who can contribute more than that.

Later

kcmets
Dec 04 2022 04:14 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/i/status/1599178683071467520[/TWEET]

Edgy MD
Dec 04 2022 04:36 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Like Seaver, deGrom seemed to be a thoughtful, mature figure when representing the brand, but also like Seaver, he seemed to have a professional aloofness that kept him from pouring himself into the role, so he never quite seized the Face of the Franchise role that was his for the taking since the day Wright played his last game.

It kind of seems that Francisco Lindor's comfort in and willingness to take on that role — even during his crappy first half to his first season — was a big part of what the Mets were bargaining for when they traded for him and signed him for a decade.

Maybe it's Alonso's team going forward, but he's possibly going to have to punch his way past Lindor.

Lefty Specialist
Dec 04 2022 04:56 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=MFS62 post_id=113849 time=1670176734 user_id=60]
When I woke up this morning I realized I didn't feel as bad for him leaving as I thought I would.

The team won 101 games last year and he only started 11 (and won 5) of them.

I wish him well (just not against the Mets) and hope the team will sign pitchers who can contribute more than that.

Later

Yeah, I'm happy that the Mets didn't try to blow anyone away here. I think deGrom will have some magic moments but it won't be enough in the end. If he makes 30 starts in any of those 5 years I'll be very surprised.

But they've got some gaping holes to fill in that starting staff.

Frayed Knot
Dec 04 2022 04:59 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote:

He's gonna have a great 1st year with texas

And quite possibly a great first coupla years.

Probably not five, but more than one would be my guess.

metsmarathon
Dec 05 2022 06:05 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

i'm rooting like hell for degrom to earn every single penny of the texas contract. but also, fuck, i'm glad the mets aren't the ones to be paying him. i'da been real worried about a 4-year deal. i would have wanted my team to give it to him, but five? yikes. it hurts, but i'm ok.

memories... memories... i mean, the dude was the best pitcher i've ever seen. only peak pedro gives him a run. i don't know how he hasn't thrown a perfecto or three yet. (other than that his control is simply too good that eventually someone's gonna get a barrel on a strike if only by accident)

The Hot Corner
Dec 05 2022 12:11 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Dansby Swanson didn't have too much trouble putting the barrel on the ball once or twice against DeGrom. Apparently the secret is to be a good hitter in the first place and simply wait for him to try going more than 5 innings.

RealityChuck
Dec 05 2022 01:29 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I most remember seeing him pitch in Chicago.

I hadn't been to a Mets game in over 30 years. But when I visited my daughter, I realized the Mets were in town. I had three choices to watch pitch and I chose DeGrom.

Not a good game for him -- he gave up four runs in five innings, but the Mets tied it and he got no decision. He had a play at the plate reversed (probably correctly; I was surprised when the called the runner out), then gave up a two-run homer (perhaps shaken by losing the call). The Mets lost, with Vic Black the losing pitcher and Jenrry Mejia gave up two runs when he should have kept the thing close.

Centerfield
Dec 05 2022 03:42 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I've had some time to process this. Also the signing of Verlander helps lessen the sting.

Still. I'd like for Jake's arm to fall off during his first year in Texas.

And if he gets some sort of STD that's cool too.

kcmets
Dec 05 2022 07:19 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I guess the biggest memory is how he got no run support while

pitching gem after gem. Gentlemanly, every post-game.

On the flip side, I wouldn't be surprised if Jake didn't rush back

from some of the mystery ailments thinking, 'I ain't blowing my

arm out for this team' and knew he'd cash in big in a more comfy

place. Conspiracy theory here, conspiracy theory there...

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 07 2022 01:42 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=113828 time=1670132757 user_id=68]
And on another note, with deGrom now gone, if the Mets don't sign free agents Seth Lugo or Dom Smith, Tomas Nido will be the longest tenured active Met.

(If Nimmo signs with some other team).

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 09 2022 03:34 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Did anybody catch deGrom's introductory Texas Rangers press conference yet? What a bunch of disingenuous horseshit. If he took the truth serum, he'd be honest and say that he signed with Texas because he didn't want to play for the Mets anymore no matter what. Instead, he wanted to play in the slavery belt and the Rangers gave him the best offer of any of the slavery state confederate flag waving baseball teams, which is where he wanted to be all along. He sez that the Rangers want to win a World Series and have a long term vision. That's why he signed with Texas. What a load. The Rangers want to win year in and year out. It would've been neat if any of those reporters asked deGrom if he thinks that the Mets don't want to win year in and year out but it was all softballs and then lame, barely believable answers from deGrom. Oh, and he sounded nervous, too. Nervous and evasive.

The irony is that if deGrom stays healthy and pitches like he's been pitching as of late, the Rangers will have the best chance of winning it all and it will be mainly thanks to deGrom, himself.

[YOUTUBE]PUDX84YlAfc[/YOUTUBE]

The Hot Corner
Dec 10 2022 03:54 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

As in the vast majority of free-agent signings over the years, money is the predominant factor that determines where players sign. Most players will offer up all kinds of superficial and disingenuous reasons for accepting the offer that they chose to sign, but in the end, I believe it almost always comes down to the team that was willing to pay the most money for their services. Very few free agents are honest enough to come out and admit that they simply took the best financial package available to them.

DeGrom is no different than most free agents that have gone before him. He simply signed with the team that that offered the most money to obtain his services.

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 11 2022 10:27 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

The Hot Corner wrote:

As in the vast majority of free-agent signings over the years, money is the predominant factor that determines where players sign. Most players will offer up all kinds of superficial and disingenuous reasons for accepting the offer that they chose to sign, but in the end, I believe it almost always comes down to the team that was willing to pay the most money for their services. Very few free agents are honest enough to come out and admit that they simply took the best financial package available to them.

DeGrom is no different than most free agents that have gone before him. He simply signed with the team that that offered the most money to obtain his services.

Agree. Still, I'd like to know why deGrom didn't give the Mets a chance to counter the Rangers' offer. Did the Mets make it clear that they weren't willing to match or to even come close to the Rangers' offer? Because I figure that ordinarily, the Mets had that courtesy coming as the only team deGrom ever played for and there being no animosity between team and player, as far as I know.

Was deGrom worried that the Mets would top the Texas offer?

The Hot Corner
Dec 11 2022 06:38 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I can only guess that in the dialogue between the Mets and DeGrom, the Mets were proposing a contract length that was much less than the 5 year deal offered by the Rangers. Most analyst and "talking heads" I have seen discussing DeGrom's deal with Texas seemed very surprised at the 5 year term. It appears that most of the industry, expected a higher per annum salary on a 3 year term. Going into the offseason, I personally was thinking along the lines of Scherzer's (or Verlander's eventual deal) for DeGrom.

It is not necessarily the annual salaries that are surprising to me, but the length of some of the deals have been longer than I would have expected. Many of the contracts being signed (Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Aaron Judge, Jacob DeGrom and Brandon Nimmo) are of longer length than I would have anticipated going into the offseason.

Fman99
Dec 11 2022 08:12 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Yeah he's full of shit. This is just 2022's Mike Hampton and his undying love of the Colorado school system.

Johnny Lunchbucket
Dec 11 2022 08:14 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

How soon do you reissue #48?

roger_that
Dec 12 2022 02:54 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote:

How soon do you reissue #48?

I'd offer it to Senga, since he can't get #41.

Frayed Knot
Dec 12 2022 04:55 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote:

How soon do you reissue #48?

I'd have no problem doing so but, given their standards of number retirement lately:

- less than 1/2 a career as a NYM (Keith, Willie)

- barely 1/2 plus no championship association (Piazza)

- reaching back decades to pick out a candidate no one really talked about during the intervening time (Kooz)

- a quasi-retirement for a five-year/quarter-career NYM player (Carter)

is there any chance they Don't opt to keep out of circulation and then eventually retire JdG's number?

He spent (parts of) nine seasons here and is often described as be the closest thing to Seaver. And GTS actively bitched his

way off the club, something we (with not a lot of proof) are accusing deGrom of doing only in a more passive manner.

Benjamin Grimm
Dec 12 2022 04:57 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

They could keep 48 in circulation and retire it later, like they did with 17 and 36.

Frayed Knot
Dec 12 2022 05:04 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

A move which smacks of: 'Yeah, we didn't think it was worthy of retirement back when they left/retired but do now because we get to make a nostalgia/event day out of it'.

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 12 2022 05:10 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

If Gary Carter's number is in mothballs, then deGrom deserves to have a statue and Citi Field renamed after him.

Johnny Lunchbucket
Dec 12 2022 05:49 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I was just thinking of appearances. Like how long after your spouse dies are you allowed to be seen out on a date? Kinda question

Fman99
Dec 12 2022 06:04 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote:

How soon do you reissue #48?

I'd offer it to Senga, since he can't get #41.

I'm 100% good with this. I think it's more likely that Senga takes over #40 now that Bassitt is most unlikely to return.

I give #48 away to the next guy who requests it. You want to salt that number away, you come talk to me when he's no longer an active MLB player. Right now he can eat a hot wet bag of Texas farts.

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 12 2022 06:09 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=Fman99 post_id=114581 time=1670850261 user_id=86]

I give #48 away to the next guy who requests it. You want to salt that number away, you come talk to me when he's no longer an active MLB player. Right now he can eat a hot wet bag of Texas farts.

Same here, exactly. Also, maybe someone can tell deGrom that the Mets signed Senga and Verlander because the Mets dont wanna win the WS.

Frayed Knot
Dec 12 2022 06:17 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote:

I was just thinking of appearances. Like how long after your spouse dies are you allowed to be seen out on a date? Kinda question

If it were up to me personally, I'd free it up by 2024 at the latest.

But based on the current trend of the team's mindset, I don't think is gets re-issued at all.

Fman99
Dec 12 2022 06:31 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I give #48 away to the next guy who requests it. You want to salt that number away, you come talk to me when he's no longer an active MLB player. Right now he can eat a hot wet bag of Texas farts.

Same here, exactly. Also, maybe someone can tell deGrom that the Mets signed Senga and Verlander because the Mets dont wanna win the WS.

I looked it up. The Rangers haven't won even 80 games since 2016. So they suck and have sucked and will continue to suck.

They never tell the truth, though, do they? It's always the same old bullshit line. I'm trying to remember one time where a guy said, "Yeah, I signed there, they offered me the most money. I mean, duh." Is anyone going to dispute that?

Johnny Lunchbucket
Dec 12 2022 06:36 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Of the famous foursome they gave away Matz' 32 the quickest as it went directly to Loup over that off-season. Syndergaard's 34 was less than half a season (Tommy Hunter). Harvey was just more than a calendar year (Hector Santiago).

They gave Reyes 7 directly to coach Bob Geren. It wasn't until Marcus Stroman said 7 was sacred did they mothball 7

Bob Alpacadaca
Dec 12 2022 07:45 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I think it goes to mothballs with 8 and 5 and will eventually be retired. I think those will be at some point, too.

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 12 2022 09:09 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

The Hot Corner wrote:

I can only guess that in the dialogue between the Mets and DeGrom, the Mets were proposing a contract length that was much less than the 5 year deal offered by the Rangers. ...

Yes, but we know this. That the Mets offered three years doesn't necessarily mean that they wouldn't have come around to offering more years. There are too many major questions about the deGrom contract negotiations that --surprisingly-- remain unanswered. Like why weren't the Mets given a chance to match the Texas offer? And did the Mets ever make it crystal clear that they wouldn't match the Texas offer? Among others.....

Edgy MD
Dec 12 2022 09:16 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I think that, when the Mets state why they opted not to go as as high as another team, they tend to be accused of insulting the player with an ex post facto rationalization.

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 12 2022 09:41 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Did the Mets state why they didnt go as high as Texas? I dont recall. The way I see it, the Mets made an opening offer, that's it. Did the Mets also say that their opening offer was also their final offer?

What I do recall being reported is the Mets asking the deGrom camp to be kept in the loop and informed of whatever deGrom was doing. I wish we had more info. AFAIK, the Mets made an offer and then deGrom signed with Texas. That's it.

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 12 2022 09:55 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I mean, I just can't believe that the NY press hasn't flushed out all of these details by now. We're talking about one of the greatest .Mets ever and an extremely popular player with the fans. Granted, his popularity surely took a big hit this week.

A Boy Named Seo
Dec 12 2022 10:23 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote:

I was just thinking of appearances. Like how long after your spouse dies are you allowed to be seen out on a date? Kinda question

lololol

When Jake bolted, Steve's tweet on it seemed understanding but curt underneath. Like "]
Did the Mets state why they didnt go as high as Texas? I dont recall. The way I see it, the Mets made an opening offer, that's it. Did the Mets also say that their opening offer was also their final offer?

What I do recall being reported is the Mets asking the deGrom camp to be kept in the loop and informed of whatever deGrom was doing. I wish we had more info. AFAIK, the Mets made an offer and then deGrom signed with Texas. That's it.

That's as much as I recall seeing, too. It does seem he was content to be closer to home, make a boat-load of money on more rich-guy friendly taxes, and that was that.

kcmets
Dec 12 2022 10:37 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=114603 time=1670864138 user_id=68]I mean, I just can't believe that the NY press hasn't flushed out all of these details by now. We're talking about one of the greatest .Mets ever and an extremely popular player with the fans. Granted, his popularity surely took a big hit this week.

I thought about this over the weekend. The only thing I came up

with is the Mets offices are in a glued and wrapped tight clam shell

under the new guy. Wilpons would have been leaking six stories about

how they did all they could (when they probably didn't) and other stuff.

Totally unrelated example, the Willie number retirement. No one knew,

or if they did were sworn to secrecy - and everyone in the press box, the

tv/radio booth, fans in attendance and viewers at home were surprised.

Edgy MD
Dec 12 2022 10:46 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

The nature of numbers and their availability suggest that it shouldn't be a great feat to keep one out of circulation for an all-time team member who is continuing on with another club, if you smell a retirement in the future.

The Mets equipment manager at the time of Seaver's departure (Herb Norman?) publicly stated that no other player would wear 41 while he had any say about it.

Seaver ain't deGrom and deGrom ain't Seaver, but keeping a number on hold while a player continues elsewhere is easily workable.

If I'm equipment manager, I pull a Herb Norman with everybody, and keep #35 on ice until Joe Smith retires and #2 in reserve until Justin Turner retires. It'd perhaps require a bunch of numbers to be squirreled away for a period, but any former Met who returned would have his number waiting for him.

whippoorwill
Dec 12 2022 03:11 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=114603 time=1670864138 user_id=68]
I mean, I just can't believe that the NY press hasn't flushed out all of these details by now. We're talking about one of the greatest .Mets ever and an extremely popular player with the fans. Granted, his popularity surely took a big hit this week.

I'm sure there have been players just as popular, but in the distant past

whippoorwill
Dec 12 2022 03:15 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Seaver...just as popular, Wright... just as popular, Piazza...just as popular, Hernandez... just as popular. I'm sure there's more.

And that's not even counting my personal favorites, lol

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 12 2022 03:38 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=whippoorwill post_id=114637 time=1670883098 user_id=79]
=batmagadanleadoff post_id=114603 time=1670864138 user_id=68]
I mean, I just can't believe that the NY press hasn't flushed out all of these details by now. We're talking about one of the greatest .Mets ever and an extremely popular player with the fans. Granted, his popularity surely took a big hit this week.

I'm sure there have been players just as popular ....

Me too. Who said otherwise?

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 12 2022 03:39 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=whippoorwill post_id=114638 time=1670883341 user_id=79]
Seaver...just as popular, Wright... just as popular, Piazza...just as popular, Hernandez... just as popular. I'm sure there's more.

And that's not even counting my personal favorites, lol

See above post.

whippoorwill
Dec 12 2022 05:36 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Yes I kinda misread what you meant and realized it.

But I was just reminiscing:)

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 13 2022 06:48 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Edgy MD wrote:

I think that, when the Mets state why they opted not to go as as high as another team, they tend to be accused of insulting the player with an ex post facto rationalization.

I've been trying to answer this post but admittedly, don't understand it. How could the Mets insult deGrom after the fact by stating that they were unwilling to match Texas? And did the Mets even give a reason yet for not signing deGrom? Reporting is so sketchy, especially for a player of deGrom's caliber and given the extraordinary nature of the contract he ultimately signed

AFAIK, the Mets and deGrom met. The Mets made an offer. And then the Mets never heard from deGrom's camp again after that -- not until deGrom and the Rangers had finalized a contract.

Edgy MD
Dec 13 2022 07:21 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

They could say, "We thought he was worth a lot of money, but he was as fragile as a Christmas ornament and there was just so high we were going to go."

They could say, "We thought he was worth a lot of money, but with his weird thing for dolphins and My Little Pony tattoos, there was just so high we were going to go."

They could say, "We thought he was worth a lot of money, but with all those incidents involving his wife and alcohol, there was just so high we were going to go."

Much of the reporting after the Dickey trade and the Phillies signing of Wheeler led to accusations that the team was torpedoing both those guys on the way out the door. Maybe they were and maybe they weren't, but I understand avoiding saying much of anything at all, because there are only so many diplomatic ways of saying that somebody else thought he was worth more than we did.

In fact, I understand very much the tendency to avoid saying much of anything at all.

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 13 2022 07:24 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Yeah, but how could the Mets insult deGrom after the fact? Well they could, but who'd care? It wouldn't affect contract negotiations because they're over and done with: deGrom already signed.

I thought you were getting at some kind of insult that persuaded deGrom, at least in part, to sign with the Rangers.

Edgy MD
Dec 13 2022 07:32 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

No, I wasn't.

As for who would care, in the cases I cited above, fans cared. Some, anyhow.

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 13 2022 07:35 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Edgy MD wrote:

As for who would care, in the cases I cited above, fans cared. Some, anyhow.

Yes. I was responding under the prism of offending deGrom to the point that he was dissuaded from signing with the Mets, which I now know was not the point of your original post.

Edgy MD wrote:

Much of the reporting after the Dickey trade and the Phillies signing of Wheeler led to accusations that the team was torpedoing both those guys on the way out the door. Maybe they were and maybe they weren't, but I understand avoiding saying much of anything at all, because there are only so many diplomatic ways of saying that somebody else thought he was worth more than we did.

In fact, I understand very much the tendency to avoid saying much of anything at all.

I would like to believe that eventually, some reporter is gonna get to ask the Mets pointed and well phrased questions about the deGrom negotiations and have the interview well thought ahead of time out to the point that he or she could follow up with intelligent questions depending on the answers given. Then what?

TBD.

G-Fafif
Dec 22 2022 08:20 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Jake says thanks. Ran as a full-page ad in the Post.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/gottabelievepod/status/1605920229065900033[/tweet]

A Boy Named Seo
Dec 22 2022 08:37 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I kinda knew I wasn't interested when I saw it was the Post.

batmagadanleadoff
Dec 22 2022 08:49 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I'm sure deGrom feels bad, in part, about his decision to leave New York. Still, I have no desire to read his farewell because in my heart, I'm convinced that he didnt want to play here anymore and would've re-signed with the Mets only if no other team was willing to offer him a deal that was in the Mets ballpark. I think deGrom wouldve signed with Texas even if they didnt top the Mets, so long as they were close.

A Boy Named Seo
Dec 22 2022 09:16 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

If I had the need and means to buy a full-page ad in a New York paper to deliver a personal message, I think the Post would be pretty low on my list, for at least two reasons. And being a famous dude, I'd probably reach more people by just posting it on my own social media to begin with.

Maybe this should be a poll, but if you had a important personal message to deliver to the masses of NY, how would you do it?

Benjamin Grimm
Dec 22 2022 09:21 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

A billboard in Times Square?

A Boy Named Seo
Dec 22 2022 09:24 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Benjamin Grimm wrote:

A billboard in Times Square?

It might be little tough to read a long statement that way, but still cooler than the Post. And JdG at his core seems about as New York as Bubba Gump's Shrimp anyway, so that kinda works.

metsmarathon
Dec 22 2022 09:49 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

oh no, a professional sports player didn't personally and immediately apologize to me for accepting many more buckets of money than my team was willing to pay him, and than i may have thought prudent, and may even not have actually enjoyed being a part of the team as much as i imagine myself to surely have were i given the opportunity. what a terrible person he must be. i resent him for ever letting me root for him. he can now go straight to hell. or texas. same difference.

whippoorwill
Dec 22 2022 09:50 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

A Boy Named Seo wrote:

If I had the need and means to buy a full-page ad in a New York paper to deliver a personal message, I think the Post would be pretty low on my list, for at least two reasons. And being a famous dude, I'd probably reach more people by just posting it on my own social media to begin with.

Maybe this should be a poll, but if you had a important personal message to deliver to the masses of NY, how would you do it?

Tell you guys

Fman99
Dec 22 2022 10:03 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Get the entire note tattooed on Mike Tyson's face.

A Boy Named Seo
Dec 22 2022 10:06 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=metsmarathon post_id=115378 time=1671727759 user_id=83]
oh no, a professional sports player didn't personally and immediately apologize to me for accepting many more buckets of money than my team was willing to pay him, and than i may have thought prudent, and may even not have actually enjoyed being a part of the team as much as i imagine myself to surely have were i given the opportunity. what a terrible person he must be. i resent him for ever letting me root for him. he can now go straight to hell. or texas. same difference.

Those are definitely the vibes in the comments. For the record, I was sad when he signed with Texas, but I don't fault deGrom in the least or need an explanation. I'm also as New York as Bubba Gump's shrimp.

stevejrogers
Dec 22 2022 10:43 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

A Boy Named Seo wrote:

If I had the need and means to buy a full-page ad in a New York paper to deliver a personal message, I think the Post would be pretty low on my list, for at least two reasons. And being a famous dude, I'd probably reach more people by just posting it on my own social media to begin with.

Maybe this should be a poll, but if you had a important personal message to deliver to the masses of NY, how would you do it?

deGrom doesn't have any presence on the major social media platforms though.

The statement itself reads so Jeets-esque cliched that you'd think it was written by Crash Davis.

stevejrogers
Dec 22 2022 10:45 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Benjamin Grimm wrote:

A billboard in Times Square?

Well, Alfonzo did take out ads on the top of taxi cabs when he signed with the Giants.

[url] https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Alfonzo-Thanks-Mets-Fans-on-Way-to-S-F-7092254.php

A Boy Named Seo
Dec 22 2022 10:51 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Benjamin Grimm wrote:

A billboard in Times Square?

Well, Alfonzo did take out ads on the top of taxi cabs when he signed with the Giants.

[url] https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Alfonzo-Thanks-Mets-Fans-on-Way-to-S-F-7092254.php

Now that's cool. Jake shoulda just got some bus advertisements that said 🐐 ❤️ 🫵 🗽

Screw the Post.

Gwreck
Dec 22 2022 11:00 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=metsmarathon post_id=115378 time=1671727759 user_id=83]for accepting many more buckets of money than my team was willing to pay him, and than i may have thought prudent

Given Steve Cohen's approach to things, it's not at all clear that he got more money from Texas than the Mets were willing to pay. If deGrom wanted to stay in NY, he could have presented Texas' offer and asked if Cohen would match or beat. (And he didn't do that).

and may even not have actually enjoyed being a part of the team as much as i imagine myself to surely have were i given the opportunity. what a terrible person he must be. i resent him for ever letting me root for him. he can now go straight to hell. or texas. same difference.

Totally fine if deGrom didn't like New York, or the Mets, or both. I know it's the greatest city in the world, but it's also not for everyone.

(Will I like him a little less for wanting to leave? I guess.

TL;DR: deGrom wanted to leave NY, it wasn't the money that made the difference. As a New Yorker, am I a little insulted? Maybe.

metirish
Feb 15 2023 10:48 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/ThreeTwoEephus/status/1625901525972447233[/TWEET]

Probably nothing

kcmets
Feb 15 2023 11:00 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Funny! I was going to start a "deGrom Watch 2023 - 20??" thread yesterday.

Then see this bumped and was like, 'aw fuck, he's hurtin' already and I missed

the boat on having an epic thread that'll last for the next five years.'

Probably nothing

metirish
Feb 15 2023 11:07 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

You should start that thread, it won't be empty

Probably nothing

batmagadanleadoff
Feb 15 2023 11:10 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Wonder what this is all about:

Buck Showalter Addresses Quote About Jacob deGrom Leaving New York Mets

Manager Buck Showalter addressed his quote from last month about the departure of Jacob deGrom.

Maybe there isn't more to the story.

On Tuesday, Mets manager Buck Showalter downplayed his comment from last month about Jacob deGrom leaving for the Texas Rangers.

"Somebody was saying that Jake's got some deep thing…that got blown out," Showalter told reporters. "I said Jake said we'll talk sometime, just want to bring closure. Next thing I know, there was some secret story. That's not the case. That's not what he said, but somebody ran with that thing."

In a conversation with NJ.com's Bob Klapisch in January, Showalter said deGrom told him "someday I'd like to sit down with you and explain what really happened" in regards to his free agency and ultimate departure from the Mets.

DeGrom allegedly told Showalter that he thought he was going to stay with the Mets. In the end, the two-time Cy Young Award winner signed a massive five-year, $185 million deal with a conditional sixth-year option with the Rangers.

Shortly thereafter, SNY's Andy Martino reported that deGrom never gave the Mets a chance to match his final offer.

On Tuesday, Showalter indicated that there was no deeper story behind deGrom's departure.

"He's in a good place. I'm happy for him and his family," Showalter said of deGrom.

After deGrom left, the Mets went out and landed three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander on a two-year, $86 million contract. New York also spent close to $500 million in free agency to bring their payroll up to $370 million, the most in MLB history.

https://www.si.com/mlb/mets/news/buck-showalter-addresses-quote-about-jacob-degrom-leaving-new-york-mets

Here's the part that I want more reporting on:

Shortly thereafter, SNY's Andy Martino reported that deGrom never gave the Mets a chance to match his final offer.

kcmets
Feb 15 2023 11:11 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Nah, the mojo has spoken and this is the thread for now...

Probably nothing lol

Benjamin Grimm
Feb 15 2023 11:51 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

It always starts as "probably nothing".

I have a feeling that although we're sorry he left, in the long run we won't be sorry he left. See Strawberry, Darryl.

Edgy MD
Feb 15 2023 12:55 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Not with Frankie Montas, though. He went straight from zero to shoulder surgery.

Fman99
Feb 15 2023 01:09 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I think Rangers fans are about to get a sneak peek at the next five years of their life. And if it's some other team's fan base's problem and not ours, that's A-O-Fuckin-K by me.

G-Fafif
Feb 27 2023 11:46 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Sanitized memories from Jacob deGrom, mined by Jon Heyman.

New Ranger Jacob deGrom looked exactly like his usual brilliant self while throwing close to 30 closely watched pitches Sunday, while allaying any thought he might be behind schedule. Then afterward, he threw sharp curveballs at what he suggested were widely held untruths about him in an exclusive interview with The Post, principally and pointedly making clear that he didn't dislike New York or even his old Mets contract, and that he could have even seen himself returning to Queens.

“It was never like, I'm outta here,” deGrom said following a bullpen session that featured blazing fastballs, a few sliders, and incomparable control and consistency.

“You look at places you can see yourself playing. All I had known was New York, and part of me thought I'd be back,” he said.

DeGrom called his first days as a Ranger “a smooth transition,” and his bullpen session following a few missed days due to a left side issue has him back on track to start the season with Texas, as its new ace.

DeGrom did provide many highlights and heroics in eight seasons in New York, winning two Cy Youngs. But with injuries and time off frustrating the team and especially him, and a belief he was annoyed about his slightly under-market contract (not true, he insisted) many around the team figured the marriage was surely coming to an end.

“That kind of got out. [But] I really enjoyed my time in New York,” deGrom said. “I have friends that will be lifelong friends in New York. We still keep in touch with a lot of people. That was all I knew for 13 years including eight seasons in the big leagues. The fans and everyone were always great to me. It was never like 100 percent I'm leaving here.”

https://nypost.com/2023/02/26/rangers-jacob-degrom-sets-record-straight-on-leaving-mets/

batmagadanleadoff
Feb 27 2023 11:51 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

So then why didn't he give the Mets a chance to match the Rangers' offer? Is it because deGrom was satisfied with the Rangers' offer and was worried that the Mets would come back with an offer he couldn't refuse? That interview doesn't answer anything.

Edgy MD
Feb 27 2023 12:56 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

No it doesn't. It doesn't ask deGrom to confirm the report or even note that there has been such a report.

G-Fafif
Feb 28 2023 08:18 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

On the heels of Jon Herman's exclusive with deGrom, James Wagner also has one.

When the off-season began, Mets General Manager Billy Eppler said he made a pact with Stephen Veltman, deGrom's agent, about staying in touch. It wasn't until after deGrom chose the Rangers that the Mets signed Justin Verlander, a three-time winner of the American League Cy Young Award, to replace him.

“They did everything right by me,” deGrom said of the Mets. “I'm very thankful for my time there.”

DeGrom insisted he was comfortable in New York. He knew the organization and vice versa. His family knew the area. Fans knew him as the team's longest-tenured star. Coming to the Rangers will mean starting from scratch; in addition to the personal changes, DeGrom said he had never previously been teammates with anyone in the Rangers clubhouse.

“It was never that I wanted to leave New York,” he said. “It's not like I wanted out of there. I enjoyed my time there. I have great friends still from there. And it was just that the Rangers pursued me and came after me, and when you sit down and try to go over the places you can see yourself playing, the Rangers were definitely atop that list.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/28/sports/baseball/jacob-degrom-rangers.html

batmagadanleadoff
Feb 28 2023 10:00 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I guess the Rangers pulled a Lou Cabrazzi on deGrom, took a gun to his head and told him that either his signature or the blood from his brains was gonna be on that contract. That's what I'm gonna believe until deGrom answers the fucking questions that no journalists are even bothering to ask.

Why didn't deGrom get back to the Mets? (Because he didnt want to.Because he didn't want to play for the Mets any more.)

TransMonk
Feb 28 2023 10:03 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I've got no ill will toward deGrom leaving. I agree he didn't want the Mets, but believe he simply wanted a different challenge and a change of scene for his family.

We were lucky to have him for as long as we did and as good as he was.

batmagadanleadoff
Feb 28 2023 10:09 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=TransMonk post_id=118991 time=1677603825 user_id=71]
I've got no ill will toward deGrom leaving. I agree he didn't want the Mets, but believe he simply wanted a different challenge and a change of scene for his family.

We were lucky to have him for as long as we did and as good as he was.

Totally agree. It was deGrom's right to play wherever he chose to play. I just can't believe that nobody's asking him the zillion dollar question. Especially where it's a player of his magnitude and a city as big as NY.

nymr83
Feb 28 2023 10:23 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I guess the Rangers pulled a Lou Cabrazzi on deGrom, took a gun to his head and told him that either his signature or the blood from his brains was gonna be on that contract. That's what I'm gonna believe until deGrom answers the fucking questions that no journalists are even bothering to ask.

Why didn't deGrom get back to the Mets? (Because he didnt want to.Because he didn't want to play for the Mets any more.)

There are plenty of reasonable explanations for why deGrom didn't get back to the Mets (assuming that is even true) and for why he isn't commenting now.

The most plausible to me is that he had already discussed the general framework of a deal with the Mets and knew that the Rangers offer was far beyond where the Mets were willing to go. Remember, Cohen's wallet may be bottomless but the Mets - the same team that ripped up an agreement with Correa over medicals - know a lot more about deGrom's health than the Rangers do.

Its also possible the Rangers said "hey, you've been talking to us for a month and the Mets for three years now - are you signing this, or are we moving on?" he wouldn't want to call his new employer out now if that was the case.

He also has no reason to burn bridges now. As long as he avoids doing so, he has a lifetime of old timers days, celebratory jersey retirements, first pitches, overpaid spring training "advisor" roles, and maybe even pitching coach gigs to look forward to in New York. Silence is his friend.

batmagadanleadoff
Feb 28 2023 10:37 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Well yeah, I wouldn't expect deGrom to admit he was done with NY before the game even started, assuming that was the case. And if the Mets weren't willing to match or top the Rangers' offer, then someone should say so. But nobody's even asking. They're simply letting deGrom politic his way around these issues with his insulting canned and extremely unconvincing answers. And so long as that's the case, I'm gonna assume he no longer wanted to play for the Mets.

kcmets
Feb 28 2023 11:29 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I too think he couldn't wait to Get out of Dodge but whatever.

Every time this thread pops up I'll also be expecting to hear news that

he's been sidelined by some mysterious-but-not-serious ailment.

A Boy Named Seo
Feb 28 2023 11:48 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I don't really care, I guess. He said in the NYT that Texas was at the top of his list for destinations. He got a HUGE offer from them (in a state with no income tax) so if he got what he wanted (and very likely beyond that), I wouldn't expect him to call the Mets or anyone else. See you at your NYM HOF induction in 10 years or so, bud.

batmagadanleadoff
Feb 28 2023 12:00 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

A Boy Named Seo wrote:

... so if he got what he wanted (and very likely beyond that), I wouldn't expect him to call the Mets or anyone else.

That's right. Because he didn't wanna play for the Mets any more. If he was seriously considering staying here, he would've gotten back to the Mets after the Rangers made their offer. Unless the Mets had made it crystal clear that they weren't gonna make deGrom an offer better than Texas's. He didn't get back to the Mets because he didn't wanna play here any more and he was worried that the Mets would eventually top Texas's offer if he did get back to the Mets, forcing him to fess up about not really wanting to play here.

metsmarathon
Feb 28 2023 12:21 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

its certainly possible for someone to want to play for the mets, and also want to see if better offers are out there.

it's not like he went to texas for a couple bucks more. he got a ludicrously bigger offer than even the feveriest of fever dreams would suggest possible. why even risk the chance of it slipping through your fingers? who knows - maybe texas even said to him if he walks out that door to see if the mets would match it, the offer would be gone.

if he went to texas for similar money, or certainly for less money, then sure, we might be validated in feeling spurned, but fer chrissakes, that is not what happened here. he doesn't owe us anything, least of which is an explantion, when the answer is so seemingly obvious.

batmagadanleadoff
Feb 28 2023 12:44 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Feb 28 2023 12:49 PM

=metsmarathon post_id=119004 time=1677612071 user_id=83]
who knows - maybe texas even said to him if he walks out that door to see if the mets would match it, the offer would be gone.

Then deGrom should say that, if that's what happened. I'd guess that the likelihood that that's what happened is about zero.

=metsmarathon post_id=119004 time=1677612071 user_id=83]
he doesn't owe us anything, least of which is an explantion, when the answer is so seemingly obvious.

So what is, according to you, the obvious answer? Because according to deGrom, he ditched his entire NY legacy which took him his entire major league career to build, for Chris Young's winning vision.

metsmarathon
Feb 28 2023 12:46 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=119006 time=1677613477 user_id=68]
=metsmarathon post_id=119004 time=1677612071 user_id=83]
who knows - maybe texas even said to him if he walks out that door to see if the mets would match it, the offer would be gone.

Then deGrom should say that, if that's what happened. I'd guess that the likelihood that that's what happened is about zero.

yes. because he doesn't owe us anything, least of which is an explanation.

batmagadanleadoff
Feb 28 2023 12:50 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=metsmarathon post_id=119007 time=1677613567 user_id=83]
=batmagadanleadoff post_id=119006 time=1677613477 user_id=68]
=metsmarathon post_id=119004 time=1677612071 user_id=83]
who knows - maybe texas even said to him if he walks out that door to see if the mets would match it, the offer would be gone.

Then deGrom should say that, if that's what happened. I'd guess that the likelihood that that's what happened is about zero.

yes. because he doesn't owe us anything, least of which is an explanation.

True, he might not owe anybody an explanation, but that's got nothing to do with why that scenario of yours likely never happened. And we have the right to call him on his Chris Young winning vision horseshit, if he is gonna give an explanation

A Boy Named Seo
Mar 24 2023 11:30 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Jacob deGrom has been named the Rangers Opening Day starter. I wasn't 1000% sure he'd be ready to go. He's thrown just 3 innings so far this spring.

Here is deGrom when asked to "explain your damn self already". He offered no comment.

https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-photos/image/upload/d_people:generic:headshot:67:current.png/w_213,q_auto:best/v1/people/594798/headshot/67/current>

bmfc1
Mar 24 2023 12:17 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Texas is playing the Phillies so we're rooting for deGrom, at least on Thursday.

kcmets
Mar 24 2023 12:27 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-photos/image/upload/d_people:generic:headshot:67:current.png/w_213,q_auto:best/v1/people/594798/headshot/67/current>

I am smiling, dammit!

metirish
Mar 24 2023 01:03 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

He looks like a wankers cramp

Fman99
Mar 24 2023 01:43 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

He looks like a wankers cramp

Lol that's some fine Irish speak there.

His inner monologue:

"Think of all that money. (Thinks of playing for five years on a 71 win team). Dammit."

metirish
Apr 17 2023 06:48 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/anne__rogers/status/1648123819188719616[/TWEET]

metirish
Apr 17 2023 06:49 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/anne__rogers/status/1648125973563592706[/TWEET]

kcmets
Apr 17 2023 06:53 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Just a matter of time...

whippoorwill
Apr 17 2023 07:04 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

His Met legacy

nymr83
Apr 17 2023 07:30 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/anne__rogers/status/1648125973563592706[/TWEET]

apparently she is the Royals beat writer. I'm guessing the Rangers beat writer was either crying or too busy replying to the laughter emojis from his Mets counterpart to post this sooner.

Methead
Apr 17 2023 07:32 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=metirish post_id=120529 time=1679684582 user_id=72]
He looks like a wankers cramp

Hey, speaking of wrist soreness...

The Hot Corner
Apr 19 2023 05:25 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

=kcmets post_id=122697 time=1681779229 user_id=53]
Just a matter of time...

Yup. DeGrom is just a ticking time bomb. It's not a matter of if he will miss numerous starts, but a matter of when and why. Great talent, but he's become pretty fragile and unreliable.

batmagadanleadoff
Apr 19 2023 09:30 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Jacob deGrom exits no-hitter with injury, Mets fans say ‘told you so'

Excerpt:

Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom was throwing a no-hitter when he had to exit with wrist soreness. Mets fans are just glad it's not their problem anymore.

Whether the Mets let Jacob deGrom walk in free agency or handed him a giant bag of cash to stay in New York, it was always going to be a risk. Balancing a generational talent with a bad injury habit isn't easy. They let him walk.

Was it the right choice? Right about now, Mets fans have to feel fairly vindicated because the Rangers are going through the purest version of “The Jacob deGrom” experience.

https://fansided.com/2023/04/17/jacob-degrom-exits-no-hitter-injury/

So is that what happened? That the Mets let deGrom walk? That the Mets had a chance to match or top the Rangers offer after it was made, but chose not to? Was that established? Because I don't remember reading that and am still curious about that. As every other Mets fan should be.

stevejrogers
Apr 20 2023 04:32 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Jacob deGrom exits no-hitter with injury, Mets fans say ‘told you so'

Excerpt:

Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom was throwing a no-hitter when he had to exit with wrist soreness. Mets fans are just glad it's not their problem anymore.

Whether the Mets let Jacob deGrom walk in free agency or handed him a giant bag of cash to stay in New York, it was always going to be a risk. Balancing a generational talent with a bad injury habit isn't easy. They let him walk.

Was it the right choice? Right about now, Mets fans have to feel fairly vindicated because the Rangers are going through the purest version of “The Jacob deGrom” experience.

https://fansided.com/2023/04/17/jacob-degrom-exits-no-hitter-injury/

So is that what happened? That the Mets let deGrom walk? That the Mets had a chance to match or top the Rangers offer after it was made, but chose not to? Was that established? Because I don't remember reading that and am still curious about that. As every other Mets fan should be.

I don't think the author is aware of the publicly known timeline of events, etc.

Think of it like Adam Sandler's lyric about the Mets trading Darryl Strawberry. It fits the article's narrative better if it comes from a place where the Mets were able to present him an offer to refuse.

Frayed Knot
Apr 20 2023 04:33 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Excerpt:

Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom was throwing a no-hitter when he had to exit with wrist soreness. Mets fans are just glad it's not their problem anymore.

Whether the Mets let Jacob deGrom walk in free agency or handed him a giant bag of cash to stay in New York, it was always going to be a risk. Balancing a generational talent with a bad injury habit isn't easy. They let him walk.

Was it the right choice? Right about now, Mets fans have to feel fairly vindicated because the Rangers are going through the purest version of “The Jacob deGrom” experience.

I'll take the first part of that excerpt: "Mets fans are just glad it's not their problem anymore"

How many reported NYM fans did this guy poll? All of them? (if so I don't remember getting a call). A million? A thousand? Six? Himself plus the guy on the next barstool and his cat?

And yet he seems to indicate that not only is there a universal consensus on this issue but that he knows what it is.

Statements like this are up there with declaring what "Twitter thinks ..." about some issue or who "the internet is supporting ..." over the latest Taylor Swift breakup.

whippoorwill
Apr 20 2023 05:23 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Not to mention that he pitched years before the injuries started.

Edgy MD
Apr 20 2023 08:12 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Nov 02 2023 10:57 AM

There are worse problems than having a terrific pitcher not currently available — be it for the next inning or the next 6–8 weeks — because of injuries that everybody is being over-cautious with.

As for being "just glad it's not their problem anymore," it still is our problem, except now it's problem named "Verlander."

It's simply the nature of things. Right now there are 30 teams whose top pitchers have different levels of talent, but all 30 are currently deeply concerned about the health of their top pitchers. If there's anything worse than fans being babies about that reality, it's media dudes validating that by selling fans the idea that they're uniquely cursed.

A Boy Named Seo
Nov 02 2023 08:35 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Re-reading this 11 months later was something.

metirish
Nov 02 2023 09:55 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/SNY_Mets/status/1720093414958498120[/TWEET]

Looks happy

A Boy Named Seo
Nov 02 2023 10:23 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Looks like a dude who made a wild-ass bet with long odds and won

Lefty Specialist
Nov 02 2023 01:03 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Enjoy the $185 million, Jacob. Steve Cohen moved on and so did I.

G-Fafif
Nov 02 2023 09:33 PM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

Awesome teammate, reportedly. The least he can be for the money.

The Texas Rangers, high off a playoff win, boarded a late-night flight from Baltimore to Dallas. The club had just taken a commanding 2-0 lead over the Orioles in the American League Division Series. The Rangers were one win away from advancing to the franchise's first ALCS since 2011. But, first, there was an unforgettable three-hour flight standing in their way.

Several players played cards in the back of the plane, a common pastime for those who ply their craft in America's pastime. Max Scherzer, who was dealing with a stomach bug, was one of those players. This, Jacob deGrom decided, provided the perfect opportunity to pull off an epic prank. DeGrom discreetly asked the flight assistant, Missy, to tell Scherzer to wear his mask if he's going to play cards so that no one else would get sick. Missy, per deGrom's direction, told Scherzer the request was coming from the Rangers manager, Bruce Bochy.

"He was probably cussing me out," Bochy laughed. "He actually wore it. He was respectful with everything. He put it on."

"He wore it the whole freaking flight," said a teammate, who was only comfortable speaking about this very serious prank on the condition of anonymity. "Three hours. It was hysterical. Whole flight he's wearing it. We're all cracking up. He had no idea. No idea."

The following day, the Rangers held a workout at Globe Life Field. DeGrom told Bochy about the prank he'd pulled off, but the horseplay wasn't over yet. He asked the skipper to add another layer to the joke by being a part of it. So Bochy walked up to Scherzer at the team workout.

"What the hell were you wearing a mask for?" Bochy asked. Scherzer responded, "You told me to wear it." Then Bochy lied and said he was anti-mask. "I don't know what you're talking about," the manager replied, faking his confusion well enough to merit Oscar consideration.

For Scherzer, the mystery of who pulled off the mask prank went on for days. Finally, more than a week later, players told Scherzer that deGrom was behind the joke.

"He's just a goofball," teammate Will Smith said of deGrom. "Florida redneck, goofball. He likes to hunt. He's fun. The Max prank is his best one so far. We finally told him. Max gave deGrom his props. He said, ‘That's one of the best ones you've pulled off.' DeGrom got him pretty good."

That clever, slightly wicked, prank was just one of many jokes deGrom has pulled off this year with Texas. It's the star pitcher's own way of contributing to the Rangers' historic World Series run, even though deGrom hasn't pitched since June following his second career Tommy John surgery. Because deGrom can't torture opposing hitters, he teases his teammates instead.

"Obviously, I wish I was out there," deGrom told FOX Sports after Texas edged Arizona in Game 3 of the World Series. "But now it's about these guys and what they're doing. It's very cool."

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/remember-jacob-degrom-hes-fueling-the-rangers-world-series-run-without-pitching

ashie62
Nov 03 2023 07:25 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

I am not able to wax poetic about Jake, not yet anyway

The Hot Corner
Nov 04 2023 08:45 AM
Re: Memories of Jacob deGrom

DeGrom and Scherzer got a ring, but ultimately they each contributed little to the Rangers title.

DeGrom was his usual self, dominating on the rare occasion that he is healthy enough to pitch, then collects a massive salary to be a cheerleader the bulk of the year. He made 6 starts as a Ranger going 2-0 with a 2.67 ERA over 30 innings. He was done for the year before the start of May.

Scherzer pitched well for the Rangers after the trade. In 8 regular season starts he went 4-2 with a 3.20 ERA over 45 innings. Then the post season rolled around and he basically disappeared. He made 3 post-season starts and went 0-1 with a 6.52 ERA over 14.1 innings. He did his Roberto Duran impression and declared "no mas" after 5.1 innings of Game 3 of the World Series.

DeGrom was signed to carry the rotation, not surprisingly, he didn't. I like DeGrom. He is a generational talent, but the Rangers got about what they (and I) reasonably expected they would from him. Scherzer, is still good, but he is old and unreliable at this point in his career. He was intended to solidify the Rangers rotation for the stretch run and post-season. He did that to some extent, but to a great extent was unable to deliver in the post-season.

I guess I sound bitter. They got a World Series ring, but they are far from the reason why the Rangers ended up the champs. Good for them and the fans of the Rangers, but I don't miss or long for the return of either of them.