Buck Showalter on Jacob deGrom: 'Left Alone to Pitch'
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New York Mets manager Buck Showalter’s recent conversation with NJ.com didn’t necessarily break new ground when it came to the team’s split with Jacob deGrom.
deGrom ended up signing a five-year, $185 million deal with the Rangers after turning down an initial three-year, $120 million offer from the Mets.
But Showalter did say one interesting thing about deGrom, something that makes his departure to Texas — or to another franchise — make a bit more sense.
It was something deGrom mentioned when he arrived in December after signing his contract, the idea of having space.
“He was great to have around,” Showalter said. “He was always good with me. But the thing is, Jake is from rural central Florida. He just wants to be left alone to pitch. We'll miss him, but I can't dwell on it at this point.”
Showalter also told NJ.com that he and deGrom have spoken since the pitcher left, and deGrom has told Showalter that he wants to talk about how all of this went down.
“He said, ‘Someday, I'd like to sit down with you and explain what really happened. I really thought I'd be back there,’” Showalter said.
Perhaps the pair will get that chance when the Rangers visit the Mets from Aug. 28-30. Texas will play every MLB team in 2023.
Both parties have moved on, of course. The Mets signed Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga to pitch alongside Max Scherzer.
The Rangers might have their deepest rotation ever, with deGrom as the ace. The Rangers had Jon Gray under contract and retained Martín Pérez on a one-year deal. The Rangers traded for Jake Odorizzi. They also signed Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi.
The Rangers will begin to get a sense of how the rotation will come together when pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training to the team’s facility in Surprise, Ariz., on Feb. 15, with position players to follow by Feb. 20.
The Spring Training game schedule starts on Feb. 24 with a game against Kansas City at the Surprise complex shared with the Royals.
The Rangers wrap up their exhibition season with a pair of games at Globe Life Field against the Royals on March 27 and 28. The Rangers open up the regular season at home against Philadelphia on March 30.
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