When it comes to the impending free agency for New York Mets ace, Jacob deGrom, valid, strong arguments can be made both ways when it comes to what the Mets should do.
Of course, for an expected World Series contending team, wanting to keep deGrom is fairly easy to understand. On the other end, however, availability has been an issue with deGrom for a couple of years now.
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Durability paired with age is the reason why the Mets could let Jacob deGrom go:
deGrom, despite his utter dominance when on the mound, has started a total of 26 games over the last two years.
Considering the blockbuster contract he is slated to get, with his reliability concerns, there is a valid reason to argue that the Mets could ultimately let deGrom go if he prices himself out.
The Mets did tie up a lot of money into another older pitcher in, Max Scherzer, just a year ago. They could potentially look for someone like Carlos Rodon, a younger, cheaper option to fill the void at the top of the rotation to keep it dominant. Or, an older ace in Justin Verlander who will get paid a hefty amount but not on the multi-year type of deal that deGrom is expected to land.
Of course, deGrom had a terrific 2022, highlighted by a 3.08 ERA. He certainly showed flashes of his old self and just had some awesome moments. However, his age, combined with his durability concerns, makes it logical for the Mets to ultimately allow him to walk and get an extraordinary contract from another team if this is what ends up playing out.
If the price is right and the Mets feel comfortable with the duration of the contract, deGrom should absolutely be a priority. However, there is a chance that deGrom does sign elsewhere. Should he join another team, the Mets, knowing he turns 35 next year and has had recent injury concerns, can ultimately make a strong case for themselves not going above and beyond to keep their star ace.