(Queens, NY) – The excitement level has been high for most of the season in Flushing. Juan Soto has put his early-season struggles behind him. Ticket sales are up at CitiField. Several Mets are in the running for All-Star spots – including leadoff hitter Francisco Lindor. Still, there are some issues. The team continues to hunt for consistency offensively. Also, the starting pitching – red hot during the seasons’ opening months – has come back down to earth.
For sure, the return of Frankie Montas and (especially) Sean Manea from the injured list will help. At some point, Kodai Senga should return from a hamstring injury – after pitching like an ace for most of the season. But there’s a need for more starting pitching depth – and impact – at the front-end of the rotation. That’s why a name well known to Mets fans should be on their radar ahead of the trade deadline.
He’s a simple man. He one once had long hair flowing under the bill of his orange and blue NY cap. We’re talking about the flamethrower known as Jacob Anthony deGrom.
What a story it would be, the dominant righthander returning to the mound where he became famous. After rehabbing from a second Tommy John surgery during his time with the Texas Rangers, deGrom is once again healthy and pitching like a stud. He had a 7-2 record with a 2.24 ERA and miniscule 0.97 WHIP with 87 strikeouts entering play on Monday. Reports say he’s found renewed success by dialing back a bit on his velocity, and focusing on staying healthy. DeGrom decided the high-velocity, high-octane “stuff” he always featured as a younger man wasn’t going to cut it as he approached 40. And he routinely dealt with arm injuries both toward the end of his time in New York, and then with the elbow injury in Dallas-Ft. Worth.
DeGrom chose Texas, leaving his longtime Mets squad for the Lonestar State, during the 2024 offseason. Fans were hurt, and wondered if he had come to resent New York City, or maybe Mets fans – after years spent with more losing than winning. Yet the truth is only deGrom, his family, and his agent know the reasons why Texas was chosen. Perhaps at that time, Mets owner Steve Cohen and then newly-hired team president David Stearns felt it best to avoid a longterm commitment to a starting pitcher (who, true to that concern, immediately got hurt).
Under contract through the 2027 season (at which time he will be 39 years old) – whoever deGrom is playing for at that point will have the option to extend it one more year. That’s because the missed time due to the Tommy John surgery means deGrom won’t hit the innings total needed to guarantee the extra year. Still, he has a full no-trade clause. Would he even be willing to come back to New York?
One thing is for certain: if that Neil Young song plays again, and deGrom is once again using that familiar delivery to fire off warmup pitches at Citi Field, the Flushing faithful will swoon. Even without the luscious locks (and deGrom’s hair is actually looking longer again these days) fans will give him a rock star’s welcome.
