The New York Mets and Jacob deGrom are discussing a long-term contract, but don’t expect negotiations to drag on during the season.
Jacob deGrom might be the most important piece for the New York Mets going forward. The Cy Young pitcher is an absolute stud on the mound and the Mets would love to lock him up long-term.
While the Mets and deGrom are in negotiations, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen says they plan to end these talks when the season begins per ESPN. Locking up deGrom long-term is a priority for the Metropolitans, but they don’t want the negotiations to become a distraction during the season,
“There’s no reason for a distraction to carry into the regular season, and we’ll continue to have dialogue over the course of this spring and see where those discussions lead,” Van Wagenen said. “But the last thing either side wants to do is have this be a distraction once the season starts.”
The Mets are entering a pivotal season and Van Wagenen has already put a target on the team’s back with some of his offseason comments. The Mets need deGrom at his best if they hope to back up some of Van Wagenen’s offseason chatter about being the team to beat in the division.
the right-hander can become a free agent in 2020 and he is hoping to cash in on his Cy Young campaign in 2018. A source told Mike Puma of the New York Post that deGrom is considering capping his workload if he doesn’t have a long-term contract this season.
Of course, that threat could be used as a negotiating tactic in order to force the Mets to offer a long-term deal. How the Mets handle his former client will be an early challenge for Van Wagenen.
