I was too young to see Tom Seaver pitch.
I caught the tail end of Doc Gooden but missed his dominance of the mid 80’s.
I saw a skinny Pedro Martinez shine through the heart of the steroid era.
Witnessed prime Kershaw and playoff Bumgarner. (😩) Watched Scherzer and Verlander excel a decade ago. (😳)
Randy Johnson. Johan Santana. Roy Halladay. Some flashes in the pan like Tim Lincecum and Brandon Webb.
Suffice to say I’ve seen some great pitchers.
I’ll take Jacob deGrom over any of them.
I wasn’t the guy saying “who cares? He’s always hurt,” when deGrom signed with the Rangers.
Counting his innings in 2021 and 2022 wasn’t going to make me feel any better.
I wanted deGrom to retire a Met. I wanted to be at Citi Field when we hung up his #48 next to Stengel and Piazza. Hell, I might have even taken the trip to Cooperstown had he been inducted.
With that being said, I can’t fault the Mets for not matching Texas’ offer to deGrom. (5 years, 185 million.)
I was happy when the Mets extended him in 2019. I loved that he came up as a shortstop so there wasn’t as much mileage on his arm as compared to other pitchers. I thought that with his athletic and slender frame he would cruise into his late thirties.
It is unfortunate. I really love the culture Steve Cohen has helped to build here since he bought the team. He’s truly embraced their history and bridged the gap. Look no further than 2022’s Old-timers day as evidence of that.
Wouldn’t it be nice to watch Jacob deGrom pitch to David Wright in the 2040 Old-timers game?
Actually, wait.
WOULDN’T IT BE COOL TO START HANGING SOME WORLD SERIES BANNERS?!
Goodbye, Jake! Watching you defeat Kershaw and Greinke ON THE ROAD in your first two playoff games are some of my fondest memories as a Mets fan.
But, you moved on. So will we.
Brandon Nimmo is back. Welcome David Robertson!
Brooks Raley. Jose Quintana.
Justin Verlander! SENGA!
And, guess what? We aren’t done. Not even close.
I can’t really knock deGrom for his statements upon signing with the Rangers. We can laugh at them, sure.
But you can’t really expect deGrom to say, “yeah, they offered the most money and there’s no state income tax in Texas.”
You have to say you’re excited about your new team’s chances.
But are you watching, Jake?
That’s the goal, winning a World Series,” he said. “These guys all had that same vision, and it lined up with what I wanted to do. They showed a ton of interest right from the start, and the feelings were mutual. I’m just very happy to be here.”
That’s what deGrom said in his press conference after signing with Texas.
Again, that’s fine. A media savvy answer.
How about Steve Cohen’s vision though?
We ARE trying to win a World Series. And, Jake? You’re a Rolls-Royce parked in front of the projects.
Good luck in Texas!