• Former New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom signed a five-year, $175 million free agent contract with the Texas Rangers this week.
• But money might not have been the sole reason he wanted out of New York. Baseball writer Jon Heyman might have left because he was sick of the Big Apple’s COVID mandates.
• “He seemed sullen a lot from here, and word is, deGrom’s people got early word to Texas they were interested. That shouldn’t surprise. He’s very much a DeLand, Fla., guy. Folks around the team say this came out in the pandemic when he openly talked against northern rules and masks and vaccinations, even though it meant extra precautions and greater risk to the team.”

Tagged: COVID-19