Players get traded all the time. Every once in a while, a player is traded and no matter the situation, it’s a sad day for the fans. When Curtis Granderson was traded to the Dodgers, it was bittersweet. We were all sad to see him go, but we were happy that he went to the team with the best chance of winning the World Series, something he most definitely deserves.

Though Granderson is in Los Angeles, he took to The Players Tribune to thank New York City for his last eight years, four with the Yankees and four with the Mets. However, he seemed to have more to say about being with the Mets.

“When I Became a Met, I got to know another amazing fan base,” Granderson writes. “The thing that has always struck me about Mets fans is that they just have so much heart. I always loved how they would give massive ovations to guys like Tim Teufel and Mookie Wilson from that ’86 team. Or how they got behind Bartolo Colon in such a cool way. There’s a real, genuine love for that team and those players they’ve rooted so hard for over the years. And they are loyal.”

“But it’s really the mix of all Mets fans that makes that fan base so special. And it’s been my absolute privilege to meet and get to know so many of those fans over the past few years. One of the things that always touched me was that Mets fans would give me gifts. I’d get fans making me bracelets out of rubber bands in Mets colors. Or little kids would make drawings of me and give them to me before games… Also, one little guy, I’ll never forget it, he gave me his autograph on a baseball card. I loved that, and I kept that card. Like how New York is that? Here, you take my autograph Mr. Baseball Player.”

The fans weren’t the only people that loved Granderson, but the players did to. In his heartfelt article, he reflects on his first interactions with the Mets team back in 2014:

“First, I remember how thoughtful and generous David Wright was with his time, in terms of making my transition as smooth as possible. He spent hours with me, just kind of giving me the lay of the land and helping me blend in with the guys. The other thing I remember, though, is Lucas Duda hitting bombs.”

“Duda was in my group for my first batting practice down in Port St. Lucie that year. I didn’t know much about him back then, beyond the fact that he was just really big. Anyway, everyone’s just kind of loose and relaxed around the cage, cracking jokes, getting some cuts in… but basically having fun the first time out. Then Duda steps into the box and it’s just long homer after long homer. I’m immediately like, Who is thiiiiis guy? But the whole time he’s not saying anything — no jokes, no smiles, nothing. It was just this monster of a player smashing the ball over the fence and not saying a word.”

You can tell in the article that Granderson had created a special bond with Duda, another Met that has been traded recently.

“Well, wouldn’t you know it, when we got all set up at Citi Field that first year, Duda’s locker ends up being right next to mine. So he’s sort of forced to talk to me. Pretty early on, we discovered that we had some musical interests in common. And that we both love food… So we just hit it off, and before long, we decided to become co-founders of a little something called… you guessed it… Club Grandy.”

“We had the whole setup down. I’d DJ and Duda would serve as my bodyguard. Everyone talks about the Instagram account, but Club Grandy was really where it was at. Club Grandy was totally underrated.”

There are a lot of laughs to be had in Granderson’s article, however something he wrote that stood out to me was what he did the first time he went to New York City, back in 2002. He was in the minor leagues, playing in the New York-Penn League for the Oneonta Tigers.

“This was less than a year after 9/11, and a teammate and I decided to take the ferry over to Manhattan to visit Ground Zero,” Granderson writes. “What I remember most about it was just how quiet it was there. It was almost completely silent. You couldn’t help but notice, and be touched by, this deeply emotional and spiritual presence that seemed to be in the air there. I remember thinking about all the people whose lives were lost and torn apart on that day, but also about the heroes who risked their lives to help. It really had a profound impact on me.”

“Having that be my first experience in Manhattan was a good way to begin to understand what makes New York, and its people, special.”

His days in New York City as a Met are over, at least for this season. He is now a member of the playoff-bound Dodgers, but as we will never forget him, it seems he won’t be able to forget us either.

“Not surprisingly, one of the first things that happened to me after I was traded to the Dodgers involved a New York City connection. Former Met Justin Turner got in touch with me right after the trade went down. He got my information from David Wright and was tremendously kind in reaching out just to say hello and welcome me to the team.”

Granderson has had a long, storied career. He has been in the World Series twice – 2006 with the Tigers and 2015 with the Mets – but has lost both times.

“After making it to the World Series twice, and coming up short both times, I can’t help but think maybe this might be my time,” Granderson admits. “And if it is — if I’m fortunate enough to be part of a team that wins it all — I can say for certain that all the people who supported me and showed me love in New York City over the years will be a big reason why I finally reached my ultimate goal.”

Granderson hit 105 home runs in three and a half seasons for the Mets. Those home runs, his 247 RBIs, 12 triples, 106 doubles and 317 runs scored are all fine and dandy, but that’s not why we’re going to remember him. HIs last at-bat? A grand slam against the Yankees. Yes, he is a great ballplayer, but his presence off the field will leave a long-lasting mark on this franchise.

Curtis, on behalf of all Mets fans, thank you for the kind words in your article. We wish you all the best in Los Angeles and wherever your career takes you after, and we hope you win the World Series – just as long as you don’t have to beat the Mets to get there!

Those quotes make up only a small portion of Granderson’s heartfelt article to New York City’s fans. I highly recommend you read the entire article here.