Thank You, Curtis Granderson

It was the winter of 2013 and the Mets had just wrapped up another subpar season, going 74-88 and finishing third in the National League East.

General manager Sandy Alderson was gearing up for the future, stockpiling young talent and stripping down the veterans that his predecessor Omar Minaya had left him.

With Matt Harvey bursting on the scene, promising right-hander Zack Wheeler in the wings and “catcher of the future” Travis d’Arnaud making his long anticipated Major League debut, things were looking up for a team that hadn’t tasted a potential playoff appearance in half a dozen years.

I was in community college at the time sitting in the lounge between classes when my phone buzzed.

“The Mets and outfielder Curtis Granderson have agreed to terms on a four-year, $60 million contract,” flashed across my screen.

I let out a loud “yes!” which was met by the consternation of students trying to study.

It was the first time in years the Mets brass had opened up its pockets and got itself a real free agent and it was exciting. That move also signified that there was better times to come in Queens.

While 2014 didn’t go down as a memorable year in history for the Amazin’s, 2015 turned out to be truly magical as we all know.

Granderson launched 26 home runs and drove in 70 runs that year while hitting a solid .259/.364/.457 clip in 157 games.

But it was always about what he did off the field that made Curtis special.

The clubhouse presence, the steadfast smile on his face, the copious amounts of charity work and the professionalism Granderson channeled is second to none.

I stand by the fact that the four-year deal the Mets doled out to Granderson in the winter of 2013 is one of the best in club history.

In addition to playing nearly every game in every year of his time here in New York, clubbing 20+ home runs in three out of the four years (he had 19 at the time of his trade) and winning numerous awards, the impact he left on this team in more ways than one will be felt for years.

It’s only fitting his final at-bat with the Mets was a grand slam in the ninth inning of a Subway Series game before heading to Los Angeles to join the Dodgers.

It’s never easy having to part ways with a teammate, and I’m sure Granderson’s absence was felt hard.

“It’s the first time, that I’ve been moved during the course of a season,” said Granderson after being dealt. “It’s been….a great four years here with the Mets organization. All of these guys have been amazing, getting a chance to talk to the coaching staff and the players up to this point, and possibly saying goodbye to these guys for a little bit. So it’s a little bittersweet to do that, but to get an opportunity to go and play into the postseason gonna be exciting.”

The now-37-year-old played the rest of the season in Los Angeles, but was sadly left off the World Series roster. The Dodgers ended up losing that World Series in seven games to the Houston Astros.

Over the next two seasons, Granderson bounced around between the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, and Miami Marlins.

On Friday, Granderson decided to hang up his cleats and retire, though, and left a nice message to Mets fans in the process.