The New York Mets may ultimately have a chance of retaining Jacob deGrom when all is said and done.
Recent buzz has suggested that the Mets believe as long as the proposed contracts given to deGrom are similar, the Mets will be able to re-sign their ace and keep him in Queens for life.
For deGrom, playing on a winner, one with a chance of taking a World Series, is supposedly very important. The Mets obviously proved themselves well in that regard last year and enter the offseason with those exact aspirations.
- The Mets are expecting a six-time all-star to join the team on Friday
- The Mets’ young catcher is set to be out for two months
- Mets could get All-Star slugger back vs. Cardinals on Friday
What the Mets and deGrom could ultimately reach on:
One report suggested that the Mets could look to deGrom a shorter-term deal. But one with additional years that can be tacked on at the end. With deGrom’s age and injury concerns, this route is certainly ideal for the Mets to take.
The hope for the Mets, from that standpoint, has to be that no team will offer a longer-term deal north of three years. If so, things may get dicey.
From there, the Mets could very well turn their attention to Justin Verlander. The Mets will need as good of a replacement for deGrom as possible to keep their World Series hopes intact. If the Mets are only willing to go on a short-term deal with deGrom, turning their focus to Verlander, who will sign for a lesser duration, makes sense.
Verlander should, however be the Mets’ backup plan in this scenario. The recent reports of deGrom’s willingness to stay per his representation are certainly more than encouraging to hear. It does follow up with what multiple past and current teammates have said, that deGrom is indeed happy with the Mets.
Now, it will all come down to whether or not his agents and the Mets cannot find a middle ground on years and average annual salary. Also, if a team offers some over-the-top contract, he cannot resist.