There has been a cavalcade of extensions across Major League Baseball this spring, but it doesn’t appear Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom will become the latest star to ink a new deal. Speaking about his future Saturday, deGrom told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Tim Healey of Newsday and other reporters that his optimism about signing before his self-imposed Opening Day deadline on March 28 is fading.
As recently as March 13, the reigning National League Cy Young winner seemed hopeful about landing a long-term pact by the opener. But deGrom said Saturday he’s “probably not as [optimistic]” an agreement between his camp and the Mets will materialize in time for the season. At that point, the 30-year-old will be more concerned about on-field matters.
“I don’t know where it’s going to end up,” deGrom said. “I’ve really not been trying to think about it. Yeah, I said I wanted to get something done, but it’s getting close to Opening Day and I think my focus is on that right now.”
While talks haven’t gone to his liking, they’re still ongoing, according to deGrom, who again noted he’d like to remain with the Mets. That being the case, it seems there’s still hope they’ll reach an 11th-hour deal. To this point, though, the Mets have reportedly been leery of committing a sizable payday to deGrom – who, despite the brilliance he has displayed since debuting in 2014, doesn’t have all the leverage here. After all, not only is deGrom on the wrong side of 30, but he’s a past Tommy John surgery recipient whom the Mets aren’t at risk of losing to free agency until after the 2020 campaign. Conversely, fellow veteran aces Chris Sale and Justin Verlander were only a year from free agency when they signed extensions this week, thereby increasing their teams’ urgency to lock them up.
Asked if he’s comparable to Sale, whom the Red Sox awarded a five-year, $145MM guarantee, deGrom said: “I don’t know. He’s a little bit closer to free agency. I’d have to sit down with my agents again and go over some things to really fully understand where we’d like to be.”
Last July, as deGrom was amid a season for the ages, his former agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, implored the Mets to either trade the ace or extend him. The Mets didn’t oblige in either case, though they did make the outside-the-box decision in October to hire Van Wagenen as their general manager. Van Wagenen entered into the position with keen insight into deGrom’s circumstances, then, and as a former bigwig at CAA Sports, he’s familiar with the hurler’s new representatives, Jeff Berry and Matt Ricatto. Nevertheless, the parties haven’t been able to hammer anything out, and if deGrom’s deadline holds, they’ll either wait until next offseason to revisit contract talks or table them altogether. By then, deGrom could be heading into his final winter of arbitration eligibility. He and the Mets avoided the arbitration process this past January by agreeing to a record-setting $17MM salary for 2019.
Let’s see. If this goes the normal Mets route they’ll start blaming him for stuff and trade him.
Well, they’re not going out of their way to make him happy. They just showed his personal catcher the door. Not a good move.
Plawecki? He caught degrom 7 times last year
Mesoraco
Mesoraco is on the team still on a minor league contract
Mes was one of the worst pitch framer in baseball last year. There are only a handful of catchers that got any time behind the fish last year that could be considered a worse receiver.
The idea that losing a below average catcher would be an issue is nuts.
He has a Keuchel type future
That’s going to be pricey
there’s really no need to extend him, he still has two years left and he’ll be a free agent when he’s 32. they could always wait till next off-season to extend him or try their luck in free agency that hasn’t been too friendly to aging players.
I agree 100%!!! I don’t understand what the urgency is all about. He’s coming off a career year, you don’t want to pay him for that. If he does it again this year and no injuries, don’t see why they wouldn’t offer him 4/120.
Maybe they can extend him for 4/90-100 this year. That would save them 20M if they believe he can repeat it. It’s a risk either way but doing the extension now would be good PR with the fans.
Treating your most valuable player like crap isn’t a good message to send to the player’s teammates. The Dodgers extend Kershaw. The Astros extend Verlander. The Red Sox extend Sale. The Mets nickel-and-dime their ace. It’s what bad franchises do.
Treating him like crap they’re discussing an extension
Treating like crap com’on. Kershaw had a opt out this winter. Verlander and Sale are free agents after this year! DeGrom is 2 years from being a free agent and he’s on the wrong side of 30 slow your roll there’s plenty of time!
“wrong side of 30”? deGrom is only 30 lol
Being 30 (or elsewhere in your 30s) is being in the wrong side of 30. Being 29 (or elsewhere in your 20s) is being on the right side of 30.
All those you listed were in their FA year. DeGrom has two years left.
Nola, Severino, Snell all extended, even though they had more than two years until free agency. Twist it any way you want. Bottom line is the good teams take care of their best.
Like crap? They gave him, voluntarily, a record setting arbitration salary. Hardly treating him crap.
Oh stop…you make it sound like they were being generous or hospitable. In fact they were afraid to lose MORE than that amount in artibtration.
They are. He was best pitcher last year!
Kershaw has an opt out! His was very different, and is looking risky so far!
Don’t do it!
Danger, Will Robinson!
the Mets might as well be lost in space
Just give him 5/175 already and be done with it. The owners will be making way more than that over that time period anyway.
By that logic they should pay me 5 years 100 million.
Way too much for a then 32 year old
Wilpons are clowns
I second the nomination. They will certainly do the wrong thing as their history has shown us.
Is it possible that deGrom doesn’t trust Wagon Wheel?
“Wagon Wheel” was the person he hired to be his agent. I’m sure there’s plenty of trust.
Except JD that was then and this is now. What have you done for me lately his new agents are asking? Oh, he is supposed to recuse himself from the negotiations?
YES!!! Wagon Wheel!!
Oh dummy—what color panties are you wearing today? We know that they are always 3 sizes too small—at least that is what your wife reports. Lol
I admired deGrom until he started negotiating in the press. Trout didn’t, Sale didn’t, Betts hasn’t. And spare me that the NY press is any nosier than the press in Boston; that simply isn’t true.
So instead of having the type of class a guy with his earning power should have, he becomes the used car salesman who wants to get paid up front before the test drive.
Great pitcher? No one doubts it. But that’s where it ends.
He was asked about an extension and says he’s willing to negotiate before the season starts. Was asked about limiting his innings says we’ll get there when the time comes.
Don’t twist negotiating in the media with answering question there was not any price shouted at media members
You made the point exactly. Even hinting that he would gauge his innings based on his contract situation, instead of categorically denying same, just shows how bush the guy is. He should have been insulted by the insinuation.
Obviously the media know the kind of guy they’re dealing with.
You sir have no idea what you’re talking about have a nice day
This optimistic quote was made by the press. They keep asking he same leading questions to get he kind of quote they want.
NY Sports Media could be one of he worst groups of people ever. Their presence may be one of the signs of the apocalypse.
Literally laughing at the people who think he doesn’t deserve a contract of at least sale type money. I guess the Astros are dumb for giving Verlander a 2 year 66 million dollar extension meanwhile the guy is still lights out at 36 years old right?
He deserves a big payday.
Too bad… Almost every other team, likely would have.
Even the Yankees, are extending their own players! — Yankees seldom extend their own players
The Yankees just extended gingerbread man.
Speaking of the cheapskates, here’s from today’s news:
“The Mets were not happy about making the 130-mile bus ride to Sarasota on Sunday to play the Orioles on Monday and then having to get on a plane and go on to a workout in Syracuse on Tuesday.”
As for the trip to Sarasota after Sunday’s 8-4 win over the Nationals at First Data Field and then onto Syracuse, home to the Mets’ new Triple-A affiliate, for a workout at the Carrier Dome, of all places, Syndergaard calmly unloaded on the organization, saying, “I don’t think that’s what championships teams do prior to the season.”
Here’s an update from Syracuse:
The Mets were all happy campers as their flight to Syracuse was delayed 3.5 hours. The starting pitchers shared Noah’s winter coat/quilt to lay down on in the terminal while they were waiting.
They demanded to have independent orthopedic doctors available at the Carrier Dome because of back spasms, and that “they are so cheap we refuse to see the clown team doctors”.
Promising to take happy pills to make it through the “very important” workout one player remarked, “how else can you put a smile on your face with these cheapskates?”
Articles like this should note what the comps are in terms of extensions for players with similar service time. It would help limit some of the wild, ridiculous contract suggestions (like 5/$175m, which is basically 4/$150m beyond next years arbitration, which I’m 99% sure isn’t remotely in line with any precedent for 4+ service time extensions.)
Does Zack Wheeler get extended first? He’s a free agent in 2020.
2 weeks ago it was whether or not Alonso was going to be on the team for Opening Day. Last week it was Seaver and the statue. This week it deGrom’s ext. What’s next, the seats in the upper deck aren’t orange?? Citi field doesn’t offer views on Manhattan?? This Met’s fan whine of the wk BS is nauseating.
Well Chris the bellyaching is due to the realization that once again Mets fans have been duped. With smoke and mirrors they were manipulated into thinking that the team had turned a new leaf. Expectations were high that they would be run in a professional manner.
As the season approaches they were slapped with reality that the image management was better than the content.
Just look at there preseason excursion to Syracuse for a “workout” in the Carrier Dome. What a well planned team building exercise.
As for Chitifield that was doomed from the beginning. They’ve changed the outfield walls twice. Where were the architects when the place was designed? The owners had their heads stuck up the you know what’s of Ebert’s field.
The place still pays more homage to the Brooklyn Dodgers then the Mets glory years.
I mean come on…it’s not like there are that many periods to honor, right? The Mets have had two blips in almost 60 years. So it’s no big deal Lex that they hadn’t figured out a way to commemorize
Tom Seaver. Wasn’t his nickname “The Franchise”. Didn’t anyone tell them of his condition or was it a complete surprise.
Stop defending Mutt and Jeff. Put aside the false pride and accept that there are reasons why they are such a laughable franchise.