Granderson considering retirement
Curtis Granderson’s time with the Mets likely will end soon, whether he’s traded, or finishes out the final days of his four-year contract.
Granderson has no idea where he’ll be eight months from now, but the impending free agent is mentally prepared for whatever comes next.
He is even ready for retirement.
“I’ve made my peace with it,” Granderson told The Post before the Mets’ 7-3 victory over the Cardinals. “I’m going to enjoy this season. If an opportunity presents itself for me to play, that’s great. If not, I’ve had a great run and I enjoyed it.
“I’m 36 years old. I never thought I’d be playing this long. I thought I was only going to play two years and get released, and they kept letting me come back for 12 [full] seasons. We’ll see what happens, but there are other things I know I want to do.”
Granderson, who signed a four-year, $60 million deal with the Mets in December 2013, has made just one start in the past seven games, and is hitting .111 (2-for-18) with nine strikeouts in July.
This offseason, Granderson said he knows the market for an aging outfielder will be thin — if it exists at all — and the three-time AllStar would rather exit the sport on his own terms than accept an ill-fitted role just to remain on a roster.
“This is one of those situations where I know that an extensive, long-term deal isn’t coming,” said Granderson, who is batting .228 with 13 home runs and holds a career-low 0.9 WAR. “The situation has to be right, whatever that happens to be. I’m not going to the minor leagues. I’m not doing that. It all depends on what the situation is.”
Despite the disappointment of this season, Granderson said his time in Queens has been exactly what he expected it to be, following four seasons with the Yankees.
“I met with [general manager] Sandy [Alderson] in San Diego before I signed, and he said, ‘We have a lot of pieces coming up, a lot of great arms, we have a chance to win right away and we think you can help us,’ ” Granderson said. “And sure enough, my second season, we’re in the World Series. The third season, we’re back in the playoffs. Everything that was told to me was delivered. There were a lot of homegrown guys that were developing and were going to start reaching their peaks during the course of the contract, and I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been exciting. It’s been fun.
“Coming to the Mets, it was a lot of learning, and understanding what this organization’s all about, and what their history’s been like. I didn’t know anything. I remember seeing the excitement when guys like Tim Teufel got announced on Opening Day, and I was like, ‘Why are they cheering Tim Teufel so loud?’ [Someone said] ‘Oh, he played for the ’86 team,’ and I’m like, ‘It’s ’86, why are they still doing that so much?’ And then you start to understand it because that’s the last one they’ve had.”
Granderson, who played a large part in nearly bringing a championship back to the Mets, is still holding out hope the team can create a “memorable,” if not miracle, run in the second half of the season. The Mets may start selling soon, though, and begin preparing for next season.