New Ranger Jacob deGrom pitched nearly 30 pitches during his bullpen session and showed no signs of being behind schedule, looking as brilliant as ever.
Afterwards, in an exclusive interview with The Post, he debunked widely held untruths about him, including that he disliked New York and his old Mets contract.
He said that he could even see himself returning to Queens and that his first days with the Rangers have been a smooth transition.
His bullpen session following a few missed days due to a left-side issue has him back on track to start the season with Texas as its new ace.
DeGrom won two Cy Young awards and provided many highlights and heroics in his eight seasons with the Mets.
However, injuries and time off were frustrating for both him and the team.
Many around the team believed that the marriage between the Mets and deGrom was surely ending, but deGrom made it clear that he enjoyed his time in New York and that it was never 100 per cent that he was leaving.
He entered free agency with an open mind, and Texas quickly made its feelings known early.
DeGrom’s $185 million contract reflected his greatness and was more than 50% more than the Mets’ bid. He portrayed it as a business call rather than anything personal.
DeGrom explained that his $137.5 million Mets contract was never negative and that one of his agents leaving to become Mets GM also did not weigh on him.
He only answered last spring that he would opt out to reinforce that he was healthy after missing the second half of 2021 and to circumvent constant questions about his contract.
However, unlike in the case of Padres star Manny Machado, deGrom’s promise to opt out was a reality.
Frequent injuries have affected the team and brought deGrom down.
However, with the Rangers, he looks more engaging, even relatively ebullient.
His goal is to pitch 30-plus times and put his team in a position to win.
DeGrom took a big step Sunday toward beginning the season with his new team and smiled when he said it.
»Jacob deGrom pitches nearly 30 pitches during his bullpen session«
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