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NY Post
New York Post
1 Mar 2023


NextImg:Michael Conforto has no Mets regrets after long injury saga

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Michael Conforto says he feels great physically and he feels good about his situation, too, following two years of twists and turns, plus some obvious pain and a few episodes, setbacks and disappointments that might give another man pause.

Not Conforto, now a Giants outfielder. He turns 30 Wednesday, a contented man in a new place.

The ex-Met is here as the welcome consolation prize for the outfield after another New York star, Aaron Judge, decided to stay home in The Bronx. It’s funny how things turn out. San Francisco held an allure for Conforto. The Seattle native says he’s thrilled to be playing on the West Coast, and here for spring, too, just down Scottsdale Road from his winter home in North Scottsdale, working in a situation he likes for a team he’s excited about.

Conforto doesn’t have time for what ifs, either. He’s still working on throwing accuracy 10 months after his right shoulder was surgically repaired, but he’s not that type for regrets or recriminations. His new Giants deal, for $36 million over two years, plus an opt-out, and his new Giants team, which he’s loving, has him too occupied to worry about what might have been.

What if he had signed a Mets deal when there were talks in the spring of 2020? What if he had his usual year in the platform season of 2021? What if he had accepted the offer last summer from the Astros, who went on to win the World Series? What if he hadn’t hurt his troublesome shoulder in January 2021 while “messing around” while working out?

Michael Conforto’s Mets tenure ended with a shoulder injury and a contract impasse.
Getty Images

“I look back, but I don’t look back with any regret,” said Conforto, who’s seemingly been out of sight for a year and a half. “You can always look back and say it’s all bad. But I definitely can’t look back with regret. I’m happy where I’m at.”

There was a time he could have stayed a Met. Then-Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen tried to sign Conforto long term three springs ago. Conforto recalled that some numbers were “thrown around,” without revealing what they were. It would have meant a long deal and a chance to remain with his original team. But it was in spring, he was preparing for the season, and maybe a little more focused on that.

“I think I made the right decision with the information I had at the time,” Conforto said. “It’s easy to say looking back, I should have done this or I should have done that. I don’t think it helps to dwell in the past.

    “I was getting ready for the season. It got down to crunch time. But it never got serious enough to pull the trigger on anything.”

    Conforto wound up securing a surprisingly hefty contact after the Giants not only lost out on top target Judge but pulled back their $350M agreement with Carlos Correa following Correa’s physical (interestingly, there was no word of any issue with Conforto’s physical despite the shoulder surgery). Conforto loves his new environment, his new team’s plan, his new teammates and his new coaching staff (kiddingly, he boasted that he can “almost” name all of the record 14 Giants coaches).

    He only has fond thoughts about the Mets, too, even though it didn’t end like he would have liked — with an uncharacteristically subpar offensive season followed by his call to reject the Mets’ $18.4 million qualifying offer and no real sense or belief in a return to Queens.

    New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor (12) and Michael Conforto celebrate after an MLB game against the Miami Marlins, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, in Queens, NY. (for the NY POST Photo/Corey Sipkin)

    Conforto and the Mets were unable to come to an agreement on a new number for a contract.
    Corey Sipkin for the NY POST

    Conforto’s final Mets season, where he posted an exactly average 100 OPS-plus with only 14 home runs, less than half the average of his three previous full seasons — was unlike him. There were extenuating circumstances. He had COVID-19 in spring and a hamstring pull in May, and he had an especially close rapport with hitting coach Chili Davis, who was fired early that season. He makes no excuses, and looks forward to his late-April return to Citi Field with his new team.

    “There’s not a whole lot bad I can say looking back,” Conforto said. “They gave me my shot. They gave me every opportunity. I had some great years there. I have a lot of great memories.

    “It’s a weird thing. I feel like I really never got to close that time in my life. Going back will be a really cool experience early in the season. I’ll get a little closure then.”

    He doesn’t need closure on an Astros deal that never was — a contract for the rest of 2022 plus another year. And while the Astros went on to win the World Series, Conforto saw the opportunity as a rushed return.

    “I would have been signing four months out of surgery. Going from surgery to playoff baseball would have been irresponsible,” Conforto said. “And who knows if I would have been able to make an impact?”

    Conforto is DH-ing so far for the Giants, but they say the bat looks great and he expects to be back in the outfield this spring, and fully ready by Opening Day. The arm strength is there, but his usual precise accuracy is still coming, he said. He said he just needs more reps to be right back where he was before the incident, which he described only as “messing around” while working out on a field in Scottsdale, a fall that caused his shoulder to slide out of place. Officially, it was a fracture of the capsule.

    But now, he’s happy to be in this place, near his home, with a supportive team and staff, and looking forward to playing in Oracle Park, where he noted the fans bring “energy” whenever the Giants are playing well.

    New York Mets right fielder Michael Conforto #30 hits a game-tying RBI single during the third inning when the New York Mets played the Miami Marlins Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, at Citi Field in Queens. (for the NY POST Photo/Robert Sabo)

    Conforto missed all of 2022, rehabbing from a shoulder injury.
    Robert Sabo for the NY POST

    “Obviously, it wasn’t an ideal situation for me the last two years,” Conforto said. “But I think it all worked out in the end. It’s pretty awesome.”