Jacob deGrom deserves better than the Mets and should demand a trade
Jacob deGrom pitches dominant start after dominant start and has nothing to show for — it’s time for the talented hurler to leave the Mets.
At some point Jacob deGrom has to come to the unfortunate conclusion that he isn’t doing the New York Mets any good. He continues to pitch gems, but even his heroics can’t get the Mets enough wins to become a legitimate NL East contender. It’s time for team’s ace to ask Sandy Alderson to send him to a team who can contend.
DeGrom suffered another unfortunate loss today to the Atlanta Braves. The talented righty only gave up one run in seven innings, but that still wasn’t good enough to earn his team a victory. His team’s offense only managed two hits en route to being shutout in the game.
This is not a new phenomenon for deGrom. He has a sparkling ERA of 1.57 in his 13 starts this season. Unfortunately, he’s only got four wins to his name. His run support has been even worse over his last 10 starts. He’s only given up six earned runs in that time frame but the Mets have only managed to go 2-8. No one can blame deGrom for being frustrated with his teammates.
If the Mets were positioned to pivot quickly into contenders sometime over the next couple of seasons it would make sense for deGrom to stay and wait things out. Unfortunately that doesn’t appear to be the case. Alderson and company are going to have to initiate a massive rebuild to get the Mets back into contention. At 29-years-old, it’s possible New York can’t rebuild in time to take advantage of deGrom’s prime.
As a result, the talented pitcher should reluctantly ask for a trade. In truth, dealing him is probably what’s best for the franchise. He would immediately become the most attractive name on this summer’s trade market. Starting pitching, in particular, is a scarcity this season. The Mets could potentially extract a king’s ransom in terms of young talent in exchange for deGrom. It might make the team worse in the short-run, but it would give Mets fans legitimate hope for the future.
Next: How the Yankees and Mets can make a fair deal for deGrom
Jacob deGrom may not be the sort of person to walk into Sandy Alderson’s office and demand a trade, but the truth is he’d be doing everyone a favor. Such an action would allow him to fulfill his dreams of pitching for a contender. It would also help make it easier for the Mets to set the reset button on their franchise. It may not happen, but deGrom should push for an exit sooner, rather than later.