Memories of Jacob deGrom

[A Boy Named Seo]

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]

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]

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]

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

[A Boy Named Seo]

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]

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]

A billboard in Times Square?

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

https://www.ourmidland.com/news/articl ... 092254.php

[A Boy Named Seo]

A billboard in Times Square?

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

https://www.ourmidland.com/news/articl ... 092254.php

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

Screw the Post.

[Gwreck]

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]

Probably nothing

[kcmets]

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]

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

Probably nothing

[batmagadanleadoff]

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-s ... -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]

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

Probably nothing lol

[Benjamin Grimm]

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]

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

[Fman99]

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]

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-j ... ving-mets/

[batmagadanleadoff]

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]

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]

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/spor ... ngers.html

[batmagadanleadoff]

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]

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]

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]

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.