Aug 7, 2022; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (48) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Mets would love to retain star pitcher Jacob deGrom. And how could they not? He has given the team 209 starts and 1326 innings of a 2.52 ERA, plus two Cy Young awards and a World Series appearance.
He elected to opt out of his contract, and is now a free agent after posting a 3.08 ERA (2.13 FIP) in 64.1 frames this year. He missed the first half and then some with a shoulder issue, but finished the season in one piece and is looking for a multi-year deal well above $35 million per season.
Mets general manager Billy Eppler told the media at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas on Tuesday that the team and the star pitcher have already had talks about him returning to New York.
The executive explained, according to SNY, that the two sides have made a “pact” that they will be in constant contact this offseason.
“We want to stay in communication with each other and to be very transparent with each other,” Eppler said of deGrom’s camp. “They’ll have a sense of what we’re doing and hopefully we’ll have a sense of what they’re doing.”
The Mets’ GM evidently wants deGrom’s camp to keep him up to date about the top offers he receives in the open market. The Atlanta Braves and the Texas Rangers are seen as the biggest threats to pry away deGrom, but even the Baltimore Orioles made some buzz at one point, too.
This is what the Rangers’ general manager Chris Young said about his team needs: “[Starting pitching] is our No. 1 priority,” Young said. “We recognize the limitations we had especially in the starting rotation last year. We’re going to allocate the majority of our resources towards pitching this year.”
Lots of teams will be interested in the best pitcher on the planet when healthy.
This post was published on 2022-11-09 10:19
