Ex-New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom. (Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports)
Jacob deGrom signed with the Rangers instead of heading back to New York, prompting prime trolling of the Mets on Twitter.
Whatever hopes Mets fans had of keeping Jacob deGrom in New York evaporated on Friday night when Jeff Passan reported that the ace pitcher was signing with the Rangers.
deGrom is getting a five-year contract from Texas with additional details to sweeten the pot for the two-time Cy Young Award winner.
Here’s how MLB Twitter reacted to the deGrom news.
Best memes and tweets after Jacob deGrom signs with the Rangers
https://twitter.com/TheGameDayMLB/status/1598852451406266369?s=20&t=0as2_1hBrSJE6FsR1EWFWw
https://twitter.com/BeyondTheHalo/status/1598852420196794369?s=20&t=0as2_1hBrSJE6FsR1EWFWw
There’s nothing that brings MLB Twitter together like the ability to laugh at one of the New York franchises.
At the same time, some Mets fans were fine with the news, focusing on the frustration of deGrom’s injury history as reason enough not to give him such a big contract. He missed much of the 2022 season with lingering injury problems, making a debut in August.
Ultimately, the Rangers will have to wait and see if deGrom can put together some healthy seasons and prove himself worthy of the contract. If he is healthy, he’ll be quite the addition to their rotation.
New York won’t have to worry about deGrom’s injuries anymore, but they will need to figure out their own pitching staff going forward. They are rumored to be interested in big names like Justin Verlander but losing deGrom is only okay if they managed to sign one of those other pitching stars.