On Sunday, Noah Syndergaard did his best Teddy KGB impression and implored the New York Mets to get a deal done with ace Jacob deGrom -- pay the man his money -- and on Monday, there was a surprising degree of confidence among executives with other teams that eventually, this would happen.
More to the point, the rival officials believed this was what had to happen for the Mets, who were in a position of horrendous vulnerability, like a point guard backpedaling as the lone defender in a 4-on-1 fast break. And sure enough, the Mets finished the deal: $137.5 million over five years, with an opt-out after 2022 and a club option for 2024, according to sources.
If the Mets didn't finish the deGrom deal, they would've been dunked on in about a dozen ways. Here are just a few: