There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Jacob deGrom was going to be an All-Star, and it seemed the only question was whether or not he would be the NL's starter at Coors Field on July 11.
Now, however, with his selection official as of Sunday, the question is actually this: will deGrom even go to Denver?
In between games of Sunday's doubleheader with the Yankees, deGrom was officially named to the team, but then told the media he wasn't sure if he would participate – or even be there.
"I'm supposed to throw Sunday, and I don't think it's smart to go pitch in the All-Star Game," he said. "I've been a little beat up this first half and obviously missed a few starts that I wish I wouldn't have missed."
This would be deGrom's fourth All-Star appearance, and as he noted, he's played in all three and "had a blast."
"It's a huge honor any time you get named to this, and a cool experience to play with the best in the game," he smiled. "I've pitched in all three and had a blast, but having done that makes it a little easier to decide whether or not to make the trip."
That said, deGrom also noted that the Mets' trip to Colorado was where his list of minor physical ailments "kind of all started," and with the Mets in first place entering Monday, it might be best to rest instead of taking part in the festivities.
"I have to think about it, because I've been beat up, and I have to look at it," deGrom said. "We'll talk it over, and see what we think is the smartest and safest thing for me to do."
Mets manager Luis Rojas had said last week, when asked why he chose to pitch deGrom Thursday and not for a potential deGrom-Gerrit Cole matchup in Friday's scheduled Subway Series opener, that he wanted to get three starts out of his ace before the break.
As of now, deGrom is indeed scheduled to pitch Tuesday and then Sunday, so he was unlikely to participate anyway, and as of last week, Rojas was non-committal on whether deGrom could also start the first game out of the break on July 16.
"We just lost Petey (David Peterson), so we're short on starters, and I want to be able to run out there every fifth day, and be able to do it consistently," deGrom said.
Other than deGrom, Pete Alonso, who is in the Home Run Derby looking to defend his 2019 title, is the only other Met slated to be part of any of the festivities in Denver. It is possible that another Met could be chosen to replace deGrom, and Rojas campaigned for Edwin Diaz and Taijuan Walker on Sunday.
"He's thrown the ball great, so I think it'd be a huge honor for him, and he'd be excited to be there," deGrom said of Walker.
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