Mets manager Luis Rojas told The Athletic’s Tim Britton (Twitter links) and other reporters that ace Jacob deGrom has been shut down for the remainder of the 2021 season. “There’s no sense to” letting deGrom pitch in what would essentially be a meaningless game, Rojas said, adding that deGrom would likely have been deployed if the Mets had still been in the running for a playoff spot. The skipper also said that there was no physical reason deGrom was unable, as the right-hander came out of a Monday side session looking “fine to pitch.”
The news officially ends deGrom’s season at 92 innings, with an 1.08 ERA and a set of extraordinary peripherals backing up the right-hander’s work. What was looking like a third Cy Young Award-winning campaign was hampered by several minor injuries, however, before deGrom was placed on the 10-day IL (and then the 60-day IL) with forearm tightness.
His rehab work contained at least one setback, and further concerns arose when Mets president Sandy Alderson said that deGrom had recovered from the “lowest-grade partial tear” in his right UCL. DeGrom went on record denying this statement, saying “my ligament is perfectly fine.” Rojas and acting GM Zack Scott had also previously said deGrom’s elbow issues weren’t related to any structural problems, which only added to the confusion over deGrom’s status. Today, Rojas stated that deGrom was expected to be ready for Spring Training.
Of all the problems that befell the Mets in 2021, losing perhaps the sport’s best pitcher for such an elongated period of time might have been the biggest setback. While the team continued to insist that deGrom would indeed be back at some point, New York’s nosedive in the standings made it something of a moot point. The Mets are 17-34 over their last 51 games, and are mired in a stretch of 10 losses in their past 11 games.
It isn’t any surprise that the Mets are now prioritizing deGrom’s 2022 readiness over a token relief outing or two, and next season is shaping up as particularly important one for both the team and the ace righty. DeGrom can opt out of his contract following the 2022 campaign, leaving his $30.5MM salary for 2023 (and the Mets’ $32.5MM club option for 2024) on the table in search of a more lucrative free agent deal. As great as deGrom’s track record has been, he’ll need to display good health in what will be his age-34 season in order to land such a contract if he does choose to opt out.
If there’s no sense in letting him pitch in meaningless games, might as well trade him.
Boom. Mets burn.
RIP He will be missed
Now he gets to come back next season and get injured in his first game. Once the Muts get eliminated early in 2022 he will finally get healthy again. He’ll show up when the games don’t matter and pitch like a Cy Young award winner. Then deGrom will opt out and go to another team and dominate for the rest of his career. Mets fans will still be counting the “Missed WAR” for the seasons he opted out of. They will call everyone else the “fake champions” and pretend they won it anyway. Everyone wins. You gotta love the Mets fans that are snowflakes. They give themselves an A for effort because of all those participation awards they “earned” growing up. They will always think they’re great no matter how bad it gets. They aren’t all like that. Metsfan22 definitely is though.
You feel good about yourself after posting that nonsense?
What a waste of a minute reading that crap.
It’s a fact. Look at Metsfan22. He goes out of his way to make sure his voice is louder than all you other Mets fans combined. Have fun with your big payroll every year wasted on terrible players, harassing GMs and owners who get the replacement GM wasted at their own house to the point they can’t even stay awake and then sends them driving home. It may just be a small sample size but that is far worse than most owners do their entire lives. Cohen is easily on pace to be the worst owner in recent MLB history and it’s not even close. Far worse than the Wilpons. Just keep counting your mWAR while the Phillies or Braves win the division that Cohen has no clue what to do in.
Dude, you are arguing with Metsfan22 as if you are arguing with all Met fans. Big straw man your building. Met fans don’t generally believe in the stuff you are arguing against. Missed WAR is something one poster made up and you’ve, what, based your life on debunking it? Very foolish. Talk about sinking to someone’s level.
LMAO
The fact that his name is The Mets “Missed WAR” should clue you in that he’s out of his mind. Talk about hitting a dead horse he hit that horse kicked that horse Sspat on the horse and then stabbed that horse. He enjoys attacking an easy target and thinks its humorous,
I know, right? It’s hard and actually pretty embarrassing to sink to the level only a Metsfan could do. I apologize. Maybe your owner will to something to fix the team. Maybe he will trade for a .270 OBP middle infielder and act like that guy’s gonna be the savior. Better yet, he could spend over $340 million on a light hitting defense focused shortstop. That’ll fix the team for sure. It doesn’t matter that Lindor barely hits anymore without the juiced ball. Steve Cohen likes his smile. Lindor’s smile alone is worth more than $340 million. That’s what you guys call him, right? “Mr. Smile?” Man, you Mets fans love those pearly whites. Enough to pay about $10 million for each one. Too bad he doesn’t like you though. The Mets fan base is so bad it’s the only fan base to get booed by it’s own players 3 at a time. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around? Maybe not. Classy organizations don’t have booing fans. Only terrible organizations have fans that actually get booed by several players at the same time.
Betting he had a setback
MLB should just shut down the Mets.
Agreed! Hate them!
They aren’t good enough to hate. Pity, maybe, but not hate.
& it’s not their fault they were raised improperly. I remain so thankful that I was brought up in a Yanks/Jints/Rangers home.
That could have been me!
Ironically I hate the braves. Nature loves balance.
Lol!
dang, was hoping for some help in the ATL-NYM series
The Mets have shown no sense of urgency or pride in about a month. I highly doubt they win a single game against the Braves no matter who is pitching. I also fully expect the Braves to be taking 2 out of 3 from the Phillies, but even if the Phils miraculously sweep the Braves, they’ll lose to the Marlins while the Braves trounce the Mets.
I hope you’re putting money on all these sure things.
@baseballpun I actually have money going the other way. At the beginning of the season I put money on the Phillies to win the division because the odds were too good not to take the bet.
I didn’t express any of the things I said in the previous post as fact. I just think this is what will happen.
The Braves need to walk Harper every time he comes up to bat.
Most people have been doing that. It’s why Segura and Realmuto really need to hit.
Who is going to walk Albies, Freeman, Soler, Riley, Duvall?
And I see a Braves fan asking who is going to walk Harper. UGH
Riley is in the MVP conversation, but I will say, Harper is putting up insane numbers without much of a supporting cast. Segura has been good. Realmuto’s overall numbers will be okay, but man he rode some cold and hot streaks. I’ve never seen a single player carry an entire roster, but that’s essentially what Harper did this year.
VP – I’ve always liked Harper, no question he’s a great ballplayer. The Braves are amazing right now. When I see a Braves fan cow towing to another team because he’s afraid to back his team up, I need to take some tums & turn back the bile coming up my throat.
I hear you Curly. Braves are a much more complete team than the Phils. Phillies just played the division better. That’s why it’s close.
Harper is the MVP, IMO, and the one true superstar in the Phillies lineup. If you can neutralize him, you should. It’s smart baseball.
If you want to hand over the MVP to Harper, why don’t you just hand over the next 3 games?
Who peed in your cornflakes?
Probably the same person who crapped in your Dinty Moore Stew
Fair enough.
sounds like a certain team ATL just played as well…
The home run horse has disappeared, too.
The Mets are a joke. What other team would consider resigning a player who thumbs downed the entire fan base. In any other town the GM would have made it clear that playerwas never coming back Not the Mets though because they will sign Baez (after all he;s good friends with the long term signing they already made a mistake with… Francisco Lindor who also thumbs downed the fans). Its an organization that just doesn;t get it never has
Relying on the Mets for help is like relying on road work to be done quickly and efficiently.
hey, one can hope
Not unless you rely on the Mets…to lose! See, perspective.
Mets are hiding the need for TJS with DeGrom or at least are being less than transparent with his medical status. This situation reminds me alot of Garrett Richards 2016 – 2018 when he relented to TJS only to return at year end 2019.
I disagree
Recovered from “lowest-grade partial tear” in his right UCL. What part of that isn’t transparent?
YankeesBleacherCreature,
I have been following the Mets since the mid 60’s and practically lived at Shea Stadium in the late 80’s. Since the Wilpons infected the Team right after the ’86 WS Championship and particularly since Jeff Wilpon arrived the Mets have been less than transparent with their Medical releases. New Owner I know but the Same Old Mets FO, Coaches, Scouts, Medical and Training Staff. The Mets Culture is Toxic so it is Mets fans Beware same as if the Wilpons still Control with their 5% and SNY Control.
Are you aware that a team may not releases medical information on an individual unless that individual consents to the release?
I’m not arguing against your point about the Mets culture since the Wilson’s arrived.
Not to start a political argument, but that’s similar to the challenge Trump had in 2017. He was president, but the government hadn’t changed.
Paddy,
I am familiar with HIPAA Laws, but the Mets have a history of denying medical reality. Yes I do remember flying a Player across the Country with a concussion, and Pedro Martinez criticizing them, and Carlos Beltran’s surgery, and most recently Jed Lowrie’s 2 years mysterious no show Contract.
“Not to start a political argument…”
{goes on to start a political argument}
HIPAA doesn’t apply to an employer releasing medical information. But the CBA might restrict discourse. HIPAA only applies to health care providers.
@YBC –
& this is pretty much exactly what Tanaka went through for us. Whom is currently sporting a sub 3.00 ERA in the NPB. & whom I also wouldn’t mind see back in pinstripes.
Man, Masa is soooo needed right now.
nope, your wrong. very minor tear that has healed.
Which means his elbow is probably shot.
This is no one’s fault but Metfan22. He/she types and God laughs.
Where’d that dude go?
Even he got bored with the clown show that is the Mets he their time here is used on other NLE teams articles, specifically Marlins posts.
They ventured on to the basketball portion of the site, riding the Knicks bandwagon until the wheels fall off. Go Hawks! lol
Lol freaking hilarious
More missed WAR. Add it up. Mets should have 163 wins in a 162-game season.
163? They should have at least 200.
210. You forgot David Wright and Bobby Bonilla.
Lose lose situation, happy the right thing was done.
Talkers gonna talk
This is a fitting end to the Mets season. Different owner, same results. Dunno what it is with that org, but it might be time for a hard culture reset with a house cleaning.
Maybe a move to Las Vegas or Nashville.
Teams have bailed on New Yawk before, so I guess it’s possible.
What does the owner have to do with this injury? If you’re referring to the teams handling of it, well, Alderson seems to be the common thread there. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
So what are you going to tell the guy that IS going to start that “meaningless game” instead? That he isn’t worth worrying about and it doesn’t matter if he gets hurt in a “meaningless game?”
It won’t happen, but I wish Rojas would be banned from the league for life for publicly stating any game in MLB is meaningless. If the men managing the games don’t see any meaning for them, then why should ANY fan pay to watch them play? That attitude is far worse than any tacked baseball, PEDS, or even gambling on the game. It sickens me.
cmon man. you know what he means and that it’s nothing unique to Rojas.
I don’t care if it is unique to Rojas. There wasn’t just one unique player taking PEDS. There wasn’t just one unique player stealing signs. There wasn’t just one unique player using tacky stuff. It’s a bad thing to say and needs to stop.
Rojas didn’t actually say it was a “meaningless game”, at least in the clips I can find. He said there was no point in DeGrom pitching, which (even if you also disagree with it) is not the same thing.
Agree with you. You’re trying to sell baseball at all game levels, the inference of games being meaningless or whatever word you want to interject gives a negativity to those still wanting to see a game before the season’s end. Go down a different road, sell your upcoming players, those attempting to comeback from whatever, sell 2 for 1 hotdogs and soft drinks, have a discount at the team store for fans 12 and under. Ok, enough of my soapbox, back to watching player movement in the American Association ♂️
Imagine he didn’t get hurt. And we had the same injuries the Braves got. That’s a wrap for the division…. . Now if we got hurt like the Phillies. We would be the 1 or 2 seed.
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt”
Imagine DeGrom and Soroka didn’t get hurt. They both pitch every 5th day. They cancel each other out. Who did the Mets lose who was more impactful than losing Ozuna and Acuna?
Agreed. Every team has had major issues. The Dodgers lost the defending Cy Young winner, Seager for 65 games, AJ Pollack for six weeks, Bellinger had his season turned upside down, May missed all but a month or so, Kershaw missed over two months and on and on. Injuries (and suspensions) are part of the game.
How does a 2-time CY winner who was threatening the ERA record get “cancelled out” by the likes of Soroka?
They got a half season from DeGrom. Atlanta got nothing from Soroka.
He was threatening the ERA records in 92 innings. Context is important. Let’s not sit here and pretend he had a 1.08 ERA on August 30th or something.
Both pitchers were meant to be the club aces. It’s very comparable.
“Both pitchers were meant to be the club aces. It’s very comparable.” John Means liked this comment.
Oh yeah bhambrave? We lost Jose Martinez for the whole season.
Imagine he didn’t get hurt and the Mets offense still stinks it up all year.
@MetsFan22
Why are you complaining? This deGrom injury is all your fault. You know your predictions and statements suck, so why did you ever make that statement about deGrom already being a lock for the Hall of Fame as though he didn’t need to do anything more? After you said that, he got injured in the very next start.
My gosh, I know that I and a couple of others joked about you making those statements about deGrom were the kiss of death for his career, but wow! You need to just not saying anything. It never goes well for your team.
Imagine if the Germans didn’t lose as many battles as the allies, that’s a wrap for the Fascists
This is underrated
More shoulda coulda woulda from 22. I’m a Mets fan. Just be realistic. God.
How can they have the same injuries as the braves, no position player on their team is even close to Acuna?
Imagine if the Mets never made an out. The games would be infinity long. Imagining is fun.
The whole situation with him has been strange. Never saw a pitcher his age throw the ball harder as he got older. Just curious how that happens
What’s the over/under on the number of starts next year before he gets TJ surgery?
I hope he stays healthy.
Masahiro continues to pitch to this day with the same injury… I doubt he’ll throw 100 anymore though.
Look forward to him pitching next year. Probably end up with a 0.20 ERA to finish the season and piling up the Ks to break the Single-Season strike outs of 513..
Only if he becomes a Ray… GUYS we need a petition to trade JDG to the Rays so he can magically become *BETTER*
The end???
Mets should also shut down Walker, Megill before they get hurt and begin looking at whatever is left in the minors. Give the kids a taste. Give Khalil Lee another chance to end on some positives. Give Mauricio and the top catching prospect a a few at bats.
Sign Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling for one more game.
For fun, I checked out Bob Gibson’s magical 1968 season with the 1.12 ERA. He had 28 CG and 13 SHO in 300+ innings. As I looked further at some of his career numbers, I noted Gibson had more CG (255) than deGrom has GS (198).
I know times have changed, but that really surprised me. Gibson could pitch in todays game. But it made me wonder if deGrom could have pitched in the 60’s and 70’s. deGroms stuff is electric, some of the best ever, I’m just not sure he could have handled the 240-300 IP workload.
It’s crazy to think that there are only three pitchers above 200 IP – and one of them is Adam Wainwright. Wow!
There will be four if Walker Buehler makes it past four innings tonight, with none in the American League. Also, only 40 pitchers on the 30 teams are on track to pitch the 162 innings needed to qualify for their league’s ERA title. Overall, a record 895 pitchers have been used this season. That number has been going up every year. These trends in pitcher usage are probably not sustainable, especially with MLB talking about expansion. Will talented kids even want to pitch after regularly seeing MLB openers while growing up?
This is probably why relief pitchers seem to lose it by the end of the season–they’re gassed from pitching too much.
Darth, and they throw too hard. I recently mentioned a quote by Seth Lugo re the sticky substance controversy. He said if pitchers are having a hard time gripping the baseball while throwing as hard as they can, then they should throw less hard. Watching these guys, many of them look like major injuries waiting to happen. And some of them are really young. Young kid with a great arm. So, do they help him build a starter’s repertoire to make them more valuable later? Nope, they turn them into relievers. As a fan, it is frustrating. Growing up, I looked forward to starting pitcher matchups in the few games I attended each season. If I was a kid today who today went to what amounted to a bullpen game, I’d be a tad disappointed. I still love the game; just concerned about the long-term effects of these trends.
Angels the answer is no. He would not have been an effective pitcher in the Koufax-Gibson time period. For one TJ hadn’t been developed yet. Had Koufax been pitching now he might have pitched another six or more years.
Dr. Frank Jobe saved baseball. He absolutely belongs in the Hall of Fame.
DeGrom would have been about a Jim Bunning, but not Bob Gibson.
Gibson would have a harder time today. The lineups are longer and more powerful, which makes pitching more stressful. In Gibson’s time, most lineups had 2-3 automatic out plus the pitcher. Catchers and shortstops would go the entire year with less than five home runs. Some of those guys were all-stars. Today, everyone can take you deep.
This is why ERA+ exists. Performance against the average against an average team IIRC
Amen brother
Smart move; beyond that the rest is pure speculation but hey that’s OK too
My thoughts and prayers
0.92 ERA and .364 BA. Neither were maintainable but it would have been fun to see how they both played out. FWIW, DeGrom’s lifetime BA is .204, Gibson’s is .206.
Gibson’s .206 was .024 higher than the entire left side of the infield for the 1968 World Series champion Tigers. The quintet of Don Wert, Ray Oyler, Tom Matchick, Dick Tracewski, and Eddie Mathews batted a cumulative .182 (226 of 1,242) with 23 HR. Imagine them batting against today’s hard throwers? And that was a championship team.
There’s a Shocker
Knots and hares for a seedy discovery.
Met’s stink go Orioles
The same could be said for Noah. Why let him pitch in a meaningless game like today?
Typical Mets. A key player is put on the DL for what they describe as a 10 injury and he’s gone for months. That’s what happened when Reyes and Wright got hurt.
Man, if he weren’t hurt all the time he would be healthy.
Meaningless game? Then why is admission charged ? Why even play if it means nothing Rojas? ⚾️