Jacob deGrom talks Rangers' World Series 'vision,' decision to leave Mets: 'This is where I wanted to be'

As former Mets ace Jacob deGrom was officially introduced as a member of the Texas Rangers on Thursday, he explained why he chose Texas, coming back again and again to the "vision" he was presented with of their hope of building a sustained winner.

"This is where I wanted to be," deGrom said.

As far as being pursued by the Rangers, deGrom said he was "really excited" when he found out they were interested, and discussed the call he had with Rangers GM Chris Young, manager Bruce Bochy, and owner Ray Davis.

"Getting on a call with (Chris Young) and (Bruce Bochy), hearing the vision of what the Rangers want to do, and ultimately getting to meet Ray, and the vision here of bringing a World Series," deGrom explained. "That's the goal -- winning a World Series. And these guys all had that same vision, and it lined up with what I wanted to do. They showed a ton of interest in me from the start and the feelings were mutual, and just very happy to be here."

The Rangers, who have never won a World Series since their inception in 1961 (they have been there twice, losing in 2011 and 2012), have not had a winning season since 2016.

Texas went 68-94 in 2022 after signing Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to huge deals during the 2021 offseason -- following a 2021 season where they went 60-102.

The Rangers finished with a record of 22-38 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, went 78-84 in 2019, 67-95 in 2018, and 78-84 in 2017.

Asked how difficult it was to leave the Mets, deGrom said it was "not an easy decision."

"I spent the first eight-plus years of my career with the New York Mets," deGrom said. "I have to thank them for that. They'll always hold a special place in my heart, my wife's heart, my kids. From ownership to my teammates there and the fans, ultimately. They made me feel welcome there and they played a big role in my career. 

"There will always be a special place in my heart for the New York Mets and their fans. That's the part of the business of baseball. Seeing what [the Rangers] were building here was something I wanted to be a part of."

Added deGrom about ending one chapter with the Mets and beginning another with the Rangers:

"We're extremely excited to be here. ... we thank Ray for ultimately getting me here. It's part of it. Like I said, they'll always hold a special place, and I probably wouldn't be here today without them. It's part of it. But this is where we decided we wanted to be."

Last Opening Day, when deGrom said he would be opting out of his contract at the end of the season, he noted that he would be doing so with the plan being to stay in constant contact with the Mets and owner Steve Cohen.

In the past, deGrom had said numerous times that it would be cool to spend his entire career in Queens. But there was widespread industry chatter that built during the 2022 season that he might want to leave the New York market.

The Mets were only informed of deGrom's decision to sign with the Rangers right before the news came out, and were not given a chance to match the offer -- a five-year deal worth $185 million that contains an option for a sixth year.

"By the time we heard from him, he was so down the road with Texas, it was happening," a Mets source told SNY's Andy Martino last week.

Martino reported Thursday that the Mets' offer to deGrom was more than $100 million but less than $120 million, adding that the Mets would have gone higher, though "very likely not to where Texas went."

"We were in contact with the Mets," deGrom explained on Thursday. "Like I said, the Rangers did a great job of constant communication and making me feel like they really wanted me here. The vision was the same -- build something great and win year in and year out."