Hard-hurling ace Jacob deGrom said he’d be willing to discuss a long-term deal with the New York Mets well before he becomes a free agent in 2020, according to Kevin Kernan of the New York Post.
The 27-year-old is one of five All-Star-caliber starters who make the Mets rotation arguably the best in baseball. Add their affordable contracts and club control for at least the next three seasons, and the Mets are getting the best bang for their buck among any club in the big leagues.
And deGrom, the 2014 National League Rookie of the Year, made a rare public comment regarding contract negotiations, indicating he’d like to stay in Queens.
“I’m a little bit older, so I might be more willing to do something like that,’’ deGrom said Wednesday at the team’s pre-camp in Florida, per Kernan. “You just have to look at what is fair so both sides get a decent deal. It’s something I’d have to look into and make sure I agree with it.’’
DeGrom could become arbitration-eligible after next season or in 2017, depending on his Super Two status, but even then, the Mets could still have him at an affordable rate.
“I haven’t thought that much about it, and I have to talk to my agents and stuff and look at the numbers and decide what was favorable,’’ deGrom said.
NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta agreed to a one-year, $10.7 million contract to avoid arbitration last week—less than a third of the $34.4 million-per-year deal the award’s runner-up, Zack Greinke, hauled in from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
DeGrom seems to be open to the prospect of remaining with the defending NL champs, who expect to contend again for the pennant in 2016.
Adam Rubin of ESPN.com outlined what a fair agreement might look like: "A deal covering at least six years would make sense, since it would buy at least one year of deGrom's free agency while giving him a nice security blanket should an injury occur or his career otherwise gets sidetracked."
Along with Matt Harvey and deGrom, the Mets have Zack Wheeler under club control through 2020 and Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz locked up through 2021. And with an offense that surged in the second half and through the playoffs last season, they’ll contend for titles with the starting quintet intact.
The Mets may not break the bank on deGrom this early, but by locking him in at an affordable rate, they can create financial flexibility to slowly start locking up their other starters.
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