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The Revamped Mets Looking to Overcome the 2022 Collapse
After losing out on Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers, the Mets made even bigger moves to ensure a title run in 2023.
The 2023 Major League season ended with the New York Mets losing in the NL Wild Card series against the San Diego Padres, after winning 101 games and finishing in second place behind the Atlanta Braves, who also won 101 games.
Going into this off season, the Mets had players, they either had to re-sign or let go and find alternative options to help contribute to another World Series run. One of the most pressing issues was resigning or even having an opportunity to resign Ace Jacob deGrom.
Most Mets fans felt that resigning deGrom would be an easy feat because why wouldn’t the 3-time Cy Young award winner want to return to the team that drafted him and keep building towards the crown.
But deGrom shocked the world and the Mets by accepting a contract with the Texas Rangers, a team that has not been above .500 in six seasons, to the tune of 5-years, $185 million contract. Still a bit shocking to think that deGrom would want to join a rebuilding organization, as he is about to turn 35 years old, and possibly on the tail end of his career. That is not a plan for most elite pitchers in the game today who have yet to be on the biggest stage of the season, let alone be in a position to win it. His reasoning was golden as he shared his take on why he chose Texas over New York during his Rangers Press Conference on Thursday.
“We were in contact with the Mets.” “The Rangers did a great job with constant communication and making me feel like they really wanted me here.” “Hearing the vision of what the Rangers want to do…bringing a World Series here, that’s the goal. These guys all had that same vision.”
With deGrom taking the Rangers offer, the Mets went back to work and not even two days after they lost on their Ace, they inked 3-Time Cy Young and 2-Time World Series Champ, Justin Verlander with a 2-year, $86 million deal. That proved the Mets are also a team looking to win a championship in the near future and not a rebuilding team.
The Mets were not done, as they inked left handed starting pitcher Jose Quintana to a two year deal, brought back fan favorite Brandon Nimmo on a eight year contract, and brought in David Robertson on a one year deal to help bolster their bullpen.
To Mets fans, that sounds like a team that is looking to win now and these moves may not even be the last before the season starts.
With the signing of Nimmo, the Mets ensured that every member of the 2022 lineup, would return for another shot.
Now that can be a positive thing to give your guys a second try, but that means that everyone of them have to remain healthy and be able to click again.
With Spring training just a little more then two months away, Mets fans can sit back, enjoy their Holiday season and start to dream of what the 2023 season may look like. Big things still happening in NY with a possible run at the title, just over the horizon.
David Conde
David is the Founder and Co-Owner of Legends On Deck and Co-Host of the Legends On Deck Podcast. A lifelong sports fan with a special passion for the New York Mets and New York Knicks, David has spent more than a decade covering the sports he loves. From 2010 to 2014, he served as a Senior Editor for MetsMerized Online and Mets Minors, and in June 2014 fulfilled a lifelong dream by covering the New York Mets at Citi Field as a credentialed writer. As Legends On Deck has expanded beyond baseball, David has enjoyed diving into more sports, learning along the way and sharing those stories with readers and listeners. Married for over 27 years and the proud father of two adult sons, he continues to connect with sports fans through Legends On Deck, the podcast and social media.
