Nowadays, it’s not easy to find ballplayers who are drafted, developed, and spend their entire careers with just one team. New York Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom has a chance of being one of them, and he recently said that would be something he would consider “cool.â€
The ace, who was initially an infielder, was taken in the ninth round of the 2010 June Amateur Draft by the New York Mets. He made his major league debut in 2014, and has never had an ERA above 3.53 in a single season.
DeGrom has two Cy Young awards and is arguably the best pitcher in Major League Baseball. He will turn 33 in June, and with an opt-out option in his contract after the 2022 season, he has some thinking to do.
He said to Newsday’s Tim Healey that he hasn’t thought about that too much, instead focusing on adding a third Cy Young and winning a World Series with the Mets.
DeGrom loves the Mets, and the feeling is mutual
DeGrom loves the Mets and said he was around during the end of David Wright’s career, and witnessed how emotional his farewell was. It “definitely had an impact†on him, he confessed.
“One thing I think is really, really cool is when anybody spends their entire career with one team,” he said. “You don’t see it happen a whole lot anymore. So it’s definitely something that I’ve thought about and I guess we just have to see when that time comes.
“Seeing how well [Wright] was treated by Mets fans and being a Met for life and what that was [like] was definitely cool and special. Being there for the last time he took the field, that was really cool. So that definitely weighs on your mind. That’s a decision that will be made when the time comes.”
He has choices. He can opt out of his five-year, $137.5 million deal after 2022, or until his pact ends in 2023. The Mets have a $32.5 million option for the 2024 campaign.
“I’ve definitely enjoyed my time here and signed long term here,” he said. “Haven’t really thought too much about the opt-out.”