Major League Baseball

Michael Conforto seeks redemption with Giants, closure from Mets

Updated Apr. 3, 2023 4:59 p.m. ET

NEW YORK — Michael Conforto can already picture it.

Sharing hugs and slapping hands with old teammates. Shooting the breeze with security guards and clubhouse attendants. Walking through the familiar Citi Field tunnel, but remembering to keep walking this time, right into the visitor’s clubhouse.

Conforto, wearing a black sweatshirt with orange letters that no longer spell "New York Mets," has already circled the date on his calendar. The San Francisco Giants will play the Mets on June 30 at Citi Field. His eyes lit up when he remembered he gets to go back to Queens this year because, Conforto admitted, he’s still missing that sense of resolution from his eight-year chapter with the Mets.

He wants closure and he’s excited to get it — no matter how emotional he may be on that early summer Friday night when the Giants are back in town. Conforto, who couldn't help but be nostalgic while in New York this past weekend, expects his return to Queens to feel like a homecoming.

"I get to go back there this year," Conforto said on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. "It'll bring it all back around. And just to see the fan base again. Obviously they're very special to me and I feel like they were really fair with me as well. I never had any kind of animosity toward them. I'm just excited to go back and be back in that atmosphere."

It’s hard to blame Conforto for wanting that closure from the Mets. Just look at Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who got emotional last year when he returned to Atlanta for the first time and played against the Braves. Freeman compared the experience to "a two-ton boulder off the shoulders." The former National League MVP is committed and loyal to the Dodgers for at least the next four years. But, for so many reasons, Freeman will always consider Atlanta his home.

Similarly, the Mets will always have a special place in Conforto’s heart for drafting and developing him. The Oregon State product was selected 10th overall in the 2014 draft and then logged just 589 plate appearances in the minors before making his big-league debut the following year, eventually crushing three home runs, including two in the 2015 World Series, during the Mets’ deep playoff run.

"When I was there, I thought I'd always be there," Conforto said of his time with the Mets. "And I think a lot of guys feel that way with their first, especially when they come up with a team. There was a time when I thought I'd always be there. But obviously here we are. I feel really fortunate to be where I'm at. It's all gone great so far with the Giants. Just felt welcomed here with open arms."

The past couple of years have been an uphill climb for Conforto — crammed with ups and downs, shoulder surgery and a missed season. His worst season in Queens was also his last. Conforto slashed .259/.358/.484 with a 128 OPS+ his first six seasons with the Mets, followed by an atypical league-average season in which he dealt with COVID-19-related health issues and, later, was sidelined for more than a month of 2021 with a hamstring strain. He posted an exactly average 100 OPS+ and slugged a career-low .384.

On the cusp of free agency, Conforto’s first subpar campaign was enough to elicit a one year, $18.4 million qualifying offer from the Mets, nothing more, nothing less. The Mets’ fan base was lukewarm on the idea of signing him long term, given the lousy results he had just posted and the maximum contract his agent, Scott Boras, was likely to demand. Conforto, despite his down year, entered free agency as one of the premium outfielders — alongside Starling Marte and Nick Castellanos — amid a weak outfield market.

Conforto rejected the Mets’ qualifying offer, which wasn’t a surprise to Luis Rojas. The former Mets skipper, Conforto’s manager during his last season in Queens, said he had a pretty good idea that Conforto would explore free agency, but he also thought Conforto would end up back with the Mets afterward, à la Brandon Nimmo’s first time as a free agent this past offseason. But Conforto’s homegrown Mets journey didn’t end with a long-term deal. The Mets moved on, signing Marte as his right-field replacement and adding Mark Canha to solidify their outfield. Conforto went unsigned deep into the owners’ lockout when, one week before Opening Day, Boras revealed Conforto injured his shoulder while playing catch in January. He underwent season-ending surgery in April.

"His last home game, I felt bad, I almost wanted to pull him out of the outfield, but he was so emotional," Rojas recalled. "I wanted to keep him there and finish the game actually playing. I also at the time had the confidence that he would be back with the Mets, too. Maybe test free agency and come back, but it didn't turn out that way.

"The plan that he and Scott had at the time was to go to the market and test free agency. It's something that a lot of players have done and I don't see why he wouldn't do it. And then everything turned out almost like it was a bad decision. But I respect his decision. I know it turned out bad because he lost the season, but he's back now and I'm sure he's going to do great things in this game."

Conforto signed with the Giants on a two-year, $36 million contract in early January, shortly after San Francisco lost out on free agents Carlos Correa and Aaron Judge. Though the outfielder has moved on, Conforto’s impact with the Mets can still be seen in New York. One young Mets fan, 16-year-old Cole Stein from Westchester, N.Y., wore his blue and orange No. 30 Conforto shirsey to Yankee Stadium on Saturday. Conforto was Stein’s favorite player on the Mets and, as a fellow left-handed hitter, he modeled his swing after the major-leaguer. Stein said he’ll always root for Conforto to be successful, no matter where the outfielder plays. He’s looking forward to the reception Conforto will receive when the Mets host the Giants in June.

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While the Mets ready their tribute video for the former All-Star with a sweet lefty swing that they drafted nearly a decade ago, Conforto is looking to assume a leadership role with the Giants similar to the one he had in the Mets clubhouse. His 2023 start — after raking in spring training, he went 1-for-12 in the season's opening series as the Giants lost two of three to the Yankees — only reinforces such purpose.

"I feel like I've been around a long time," the 30-year-old Conforto said. "I have the experience and I think I can help a lot of guys with some things that I've gone through. I've seen it all. I've been the No. 1 pick, I've been the prospect, I've been the guy that had a great rookie season, I've had bad years, I've had All-Star seasons. Any scenario, I've seen and gotten to the other side of it. So I'm fully committed here. I love this group of guys and I feel like we can win a lot of ballgames."

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for 3.5 seasons as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. She never misses a Rafael Nadal match, no matter what country and time zone he’s playing in. Sleep can always be sacrificed for sports. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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