Game 2 of the New York Mets wild-card matchup against the San Diego Padres on Saturday isn’t just about the team looking to avoid a two-game sweep from the postseason. Just as big a story will be the fact that the man taking the hill to stem the tide will be Jacob deGrom, in what could very well be his final game as a Met.
The last two weeks were not at all what the team and its fans expected in what often seemed like a magical season in 2022. They ran through the league with a squad that featured the National League batting champion Jeff McNeil, a resurgent Francisco Lindor and three other All-Stars in Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz and Starling Marte. But they dominated until they didn’t anymore.
Control of the NL East all slowly fell apart over the last couple of months, and the dream blew up this time last week when they officially handed over the division to the Braves, leaving their series with Atlanta two games back with three to play. Yet on Friday night, Citi Field was rocking from the excitement of postseason baseball. However, that too came crashing down when their $43 million man Max Scherzer gave up four home runs and essentially the game in just 4.2 innings.
Now, the Mets head into Saturday’s Game 2 matchup against Juan Soto and the San Diego Padres hoping they don’t get dispatched with ease at home after an impressive 101-win season. On the mound for this momentous moment will be the greatest pitcher in franchise history, deGrom. Yet, not only could this be his final game as Met, but the team legend also has much to make amends for on Saturday night.
Let’s take a look at the massive implications and storylines heading into Game 2 for the longtime ace.
Jacob deGrom’s impending free agency
DeGrom’s contract has two more years left, but it is a well-known fact that the 34-year-old plans to forego making $30.5 million in 2023 and exercise his right to opt out of his deal early. Despite his extensive injury history in recent seasons, the three-time Cy Young Award winner is expected to receive a great deal of interest from around MLB. The reigning NL East champions and 2021 World Series-winning Atlanta Braves are rumored to be one of those teams.
- Jacob DeGrom stats (2022): 5-3, 3.08 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 102 strikeouts, 8 walks
The Mets will have a tough decision to make in the winter. The going rate for a pitcher of his caliber was reset last winter when they gave Scherzer $43 million. DeGrom is guaranteed to want just as much, if not more, or a long-term deal that has plenty of risks as well. As absurd as the idea of deGrom playing anywhere else once was, it is extremely possible now because the idea of paying two well-aged pitchers close to $90 million next season is a scary proposition — even for Steve Cohen, the Mets boss, and the league’s wealthiest owner.
That truth adds a very different weight to Game 2, which already has a lot of pressure.
DeGrom is without a doubt one of the greatest pitchers of the last decade, if not the best we have seen in that time. However, over the last three seasons, the four-time All-Star and his legendary arm have let the team down often. Injuries have allowed him to make 15 or fewer starts in each of the last three years — half of what fans had become accustomed to over the first six years of his career.
Along with that, the team’s collapse over the last two weeks included back-to-back losses from their ace. As he gave up five runs to the lowly Oakland A's on Sept. 24, then three runs and three homers to the Braves last weekend. While deGrom doesn’t necessarily owe the Mets and fans anything, he still needs to make amends for his limited availability the last few years and for taking part in another late-season collapse for the franchise.
DeGrom needs to do it for himself, his Mets legacy and even to make sure he can land a record deal in the winter. It will be interesting to see what lasting memory the team legend leaves New York fans with at the end of his start.
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