Will Jacob deGrom Re-Sign With New York Mets?
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One of the biggest storylines of this upcoming offseason will be surrounding Jacob deGrom, who plans to opt-out of his deal with the New York Mets to become a free agent this winter.
Despite missing over a year of action due to elbow and shoulder injuries, deGrom returned on August 2 and has looked like the best pitcher in the world again, posting a 2.32 ERA, 0.61 WHIP and 86 strikeouts across 54.1 innings.
The two-time Cy Young Award has spent his whole nine year big-league career in Queens, so It's hard to envision him leaving.
That said, ESPN's Buster Olney believes deGrom will bolt.
"I don't believe he will be (back with the Mets) . . . his decision is based more on what his comfort level is," Olney told The Michael Kay Show, regarding whether deGrom will stay put.
While Olney thinks deGrom will go elsewhere, Mets billionaire owner Steve Cohen has deep enough pockets to retain his prized arm. But the price tag will be hefty. Co-ace Max Scherzer makes a historic $43 million average annual value, so deGrom could very well eclipse this mark, or at least match it.
As far as deGrom's comfort level is concerned, he expressed back in spring training that he would love to be a Met for life.
"Like I said, I'm excited about this team," deGrom said back in March. "And I've said it before, I love being a Met, (and) think it would be really cool to be one for my entire career."
"The plan is to exercise that option, and be in constant contact in the offseason with the Mets, Steve Cohen and the front office."
DeGrom, 34, isn't the only key pending free agent on the Mets (Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz, Chris Bassitt, Taijuan Walker etc.), but he will likely be prioritized this winter and New York can offer the most money.
Time will tell whether things play out this way, but as long as deGrom continues to dominate in the regular season, and it carries over to the postseason, it's hard to imagine him leaving Queens after the season.
The Mets are 95-56 and sit atop the NL East, one game ahead of the Atlanta Braves. New York clinched its first postseason berth since 2016 on Monday in a win over the Milwaukee Brewers.
DeGrom will soon have the chance to lead the Mets on a deep playoff run come October, which is something he did as a second-year hurler in 2015.
Read More:
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- Mets OF Starling Marte Hoping to Return for Crucial Series
- MLB Insider: Mets to 'Strongly Consider' Bringing Carlos Beltran Back
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