This offseason, we’re looking at the Mets’ history with free agency. Rick Reed, R.A. Dickey, Robin Ventura, Max Scherzer, and Tom Glavine make up the first half of our best list. Next is a fan favorite and a member of the last World Series team.
At his introductory press conference, Curtis Granderson made a comment that was a parting shot at his old team and a brilliant way of appeasing those who root for his new team. “A lot of the people I’ve met in New York have always said that true New Yorkers are Mets fans.”
Granderson had a way of engendering likability wherever he went. It was no different in Queens. Affable and charitable, Granderson wasn’t just a nice guy. He was a key contributor to two postseason clubs and a World Series appearance in 2015. Over three-plus seasons, he averaged a 116 OPS+ with 95 homers, 247 RBI, and a 10.9 WAR. It wasn’t only the first significant free-agency pickup in Sandy Alderson’s tenure as general manager. It was arguably the most effective.
Granderson arrived to the Mets on a four-year, $60-million deal coming off an injury-shortened 2013. At age 33, he wasn’t as fast as he was in Detroit when he eclipsed 20 triples. And he wouldn’t benefit from a short right-field porch like he did at Yankee Stadium, where he lifted 43 long balls over the walls in 2012.
He may have been shifting his home games only a few miles, but the ballparks were starkly different in terms of dimensions and favorability to lefty swingers. Still, it didn’t hurt that Granderson was likable and a terrific face to an organization in transition.
A notoriously slow starter, he began his first Mets season especially woeful — with a .468 OPS through the end of April. But to little surprise, he turned into the effective leadoff hitter everyone expected. He collected 16 RBI in May and a .300 batting average in June. Granderson’s production in 2014 was nowhere near what it was during his healthy years at the Yankee Stadium bandbox, but the following year would be a marked improvement both individually and for the Mets.
Granderson topped the team in hits, singles, stolen bases, on-base percentage, and total bases. The emergence of their young pitchers plus the trade dealing addition of Yoenis Céspedes enhanced Granderson’s contributions as New York won the NL East for the first time since 2006. Aside from Daniel Murphy‘s ungodly power surge, Granderson was the most consistent postseason performer that October. He hit .389 in the Division Series against the Dodgers, driving in five runs in a Game 3 blowout at Citi Field – tying the franchise record for most RBI in a single postseason contest. Granderson then delivered homers in Games 1, 3, and 5 of the World Series.
In 2016, Granderson led the Mets in games and walks for the third straight year and also topped the club in at-bats, runs scored, and triples. He eclipsed 30 homers for the first time as a Met, but his year is remembered for a defensive play. It happened in the Wild Card game at Citi Field. San Francisco had a runner at second with two out in the sixth in a scoreless tie. Noah Syndergaard‘s pitch to Brandon Belt was lifted deep to center. Granderson raced back and made the catch just before careening into the fence. The Giants didn’t score. Unfortunately, the Mets never scored all night and were one-and-done in the postseason.
As 2017 devolved into an unmitigated disaster for the Mets, and with his contract about to expire at season’s end, Granderson was a prime candidate to be moved to a contender. On August 19, 2017, he was dealt to the NL West-leading Dodgers. But not before hitting his 300th career home run on June 14.
He would conclude a successful 16-year career with short stints in Los Angeles, Toronto, Milwaukee, and Miami before naturally shifting into broadcasting. Curtis Granderson was brought to the Mets to add legitimacy. His presence, and the improved quality around him, allowed him to become an important figure in the best of times during the last decade.
