Mets’ Pete Alonso praises former teammate amid bounce-back season

deGrom, who spent nine seasons with the Mets (2014-2022), has had injury troubles, which date back to the 2021 season. During that season, the now 37-year-old was on pace for a historic year with an MLB record 0.62 ERA through nine starts. Unfortunately, the two-time Cy Young Award winner would only end up making six more starts that year due to lingering elbow and forearm injuries, cutting short what could have been an all-time great season by a starting pitcher.

In what would end up being his final season with the Mets in 2022, the right-hander would have more injury woes after suffering a stress fracture in his right scapula, which sidelined him for the first four months of the season. deGrom ultimately returned in August, and went 5-4 in 11 starts with a 3.08 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 64.1 innings.

After opting out of his current contract with the Amazins', deGrom signed a lucrative, five-year, $185 million contract with Texas in December 2022. He would only end up making six starts for the Rangers in 2023 after it was announced that he needed his second Tommy John surgery, cutting another season short.

deGrom would end up returning towards the end of the 2024 season for the Rangers and looked impressive, posting a 1.69 ERA in three starts while striking out 14 in 10.2 innings. That would be a sign of things to come in 2025, as the righty hurler has turned back the clock.

In his first full season with the Rangers, deGrom is 9-2 in 19 starts; his 2.32 ERA is the fourth-best mark in all of baseball, and he's punched out 113 batters across 112.1 innings. This earned the 37-year-old his fifth All-Star selection and his first with Texas.

While the Mets would have surely liked to have made deGrom a Met for life, especially after finally being healthy this season, it is safe to say that Alonso's comments about deGrom can be attested by many Mets fans.