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Jacob Degrom's  Honest Statement Regarding The Mets' Departure

By Mirza Danish Baig

Jacob deGrom is starting a new journey with the Texas Rangers after spending nine seasons with the New York Mets.

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After choosing to leave his contract with New York, the 34-year-old pitcher agreed to a five-year, $185 million agreement with Texas.

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DeGrom outlined his reasoning before departing as he started spring training with his new team.

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"It was never like, I’m outta here,” deGrom told The New York Post's, Jon Heyman. "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."

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The two-time Cy Young Award recipient refuted rumors that he was unhappy with the five-year, $137.5 million extension to his previous Mets deal that was inked prior to the 2019 campaign.

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"That kind of got out. [But] I really enjoyed my time in New York," deGrom said.

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DeGrom is still among the greatest pitchers in baseball when fit, if not the best. He has the highest strikeout minus walk rate (30.3%) of any qualified starter with a 2.05 ERA since the beginning of 2018.

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He was only able to make 26 appearances over the previous two seasons due to ailments. The Rangers granted deGrom a long-term contract that pays him through age 39 with a 2028 club option despite the health danger.

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"Texas showed a ton of interest," deGrom told Heyman. "Things got moving really, really quickly. And I said, 'I’m going to be a Texas Ranger.'"

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Hailey Rae Ostrom Catching The Eye

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