Watching Jacob deGrom pitch for the New York Mets always felt like borrowing something expensive that you knew you’d eventually have to give back. It was high-wire baseball. For nine years, the guy wasn't just a pitcher; he was a glitch in the Matrix, a 6-foot-4 right-hander from Stetson who turned professional hitting into a very public, very humiliating struggle. Honestly, if you were a Mets fan between 2014 and 2022, you didn't just watch deGrom starts. You survived them.
Now that we’re sitting here in early 2026, looking back at his legacy in Queens while he enters the back half of that massive Texas Rangers deal, the perspective has shifted. It’s less about the "what ifs" and more about the sheer absurdity of what actually happened.
The Myth of the "Jacob deGrom New York Mets" Win Loss Record
Let's get the elephant out of the room. The most famous stat in Jacob deGrom’s Mets tenure isn’t his ERA or his strikeout rate—it’s the lack of run support. It’s basically a meme at this point. In 2018, deGrom put up a 1.70 ERA and won the Cy Young with a 10-9 record. Ten wins. In a full season of dominance.
People love to say wins don't matter for pitchers, and deGrom is the reason that argument finally won. He’d go out there, throw seven innings of one-run ball, strike out 12, and the Mets would lose 1-0 because the offense decided to take a collective nap. It happened so often it felt scripted. Anthony Castrovince once noted that deGrom’s issue wasn't that he didn't know how to win; it was that he didn't know how to not be on the 2018 Mets.
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He ended his Mets career with 82 wins. For a guy with his talent, that number is almost offensive. But the 2.52 career ERA he left New York with? That’s the real story. That’s Tom Seaver territory.
Why He Actually Left for Texas
When deGrom signed that five-year, $185 million contract with the Rangers in December 2022, the New York media went into a tailspin. Was he unhappy with Steve Cohen? Did he hate the bright lights?
Basically, it was simpler and way less dramatic. The Rangers offered him five years. The Mets, terrified by his mounting injury list—the stress reaction in his scapula, the forearm tightness, the elbow scares—reportedly weren't willing to go past three or four. If someone offers you an extra $70 million or $80 million and a fifth year of security when you're 34 with a history of "creaky" joints, you take it. You've gotta.
He didn't leave because he hated Queens. He left because Texas was willing to bet on his arm in a way the Mets' front office, lead by Billy Eppler at the time, just wouldn't.
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The Return to Citi Field
Fast forward to September 2025. It finally happened. Jacob deGrom stood on the Citi Field mound again, but in a Rangers jersey. The Mets actually played a tribute video that got to him—you could see the stoic "deGrominator" facade crack just a tiny bit on the big screen.
Then, in a move that felt like a cosmic joke, the Mets offense—the same one that gave him nothing for a decade—dropped six runs in the first inning. Against his new team. DeGrom ended up tossing seven strong innings, giving up three runs, and reminded everyone that even at 37, he’s still got the 99 mph heater and the slider that disappears like a magic trick.
The Stuff That Defied Physics
Ask any pro who faced him during those peak New York years about his fastball. Patrick Wisdom once said the ball "explodes out of his hand and gains speed as it gets to the glove." That’s physically impossible, obviously, but that’s how it looked.
He’s the only pitcher I’ve ever seen whose "bad" games involved him throwing 97 mph instead of 101 mph. Most guys would kill for his "bad" mechanics. In 2021, before the forearm injury ended his season, he had a 1.08 ERA. That’s not a typo. He was better than Bob Gibson’s legendary 1968 season through the first half.
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Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking at deGrom's legacy now, here is how to view his New York chapter:
- Hall of Fame Path: As of early 2026, he’s sitting at 96 career wins. The "200 wins" benchmark is dead. If he finishes his Rangers contract with a sub-3.00 career ERA and three or four healthy-ish seasons, the "peak dominance" argument will likely carry him to Cooperstown.
- The Card Market: His 2014 Topps Update Rookie remains the gold standard for Mets collectors. While his Rangers cards are cool, the value is, and likely always will be, tied to the "blue and orange" era.
- Legacy Status: He is firmly the #2 pitcher in franchise history. Seaver is #1, but deGrom passed Dwight Gooden and Jerry Koosman in terms of pure, unadulterated "you can't hit this" energy.
The Jacob deGrom New York Mets era was a fever dream of 102 mph fastballs and 1-0 heartbreaks. It was frustrating, beautiful, and way too short. But man, when he was "on," there was nobody in the history of the game you’d rather have on the bump.
To understand his impact, keep an eye on his 2026 season in Texas. If he remains healthy—like he did in 2025 when he won AL Comeback Player of the Year—it only further proves that the Mets let go of a literal once-in-a-lifetime arm. Keep tracking his strikeout-to-walk ratios; he’s currently chasing the lowest career WHIP for any starter in the live-ball era.