The Jacob deGrom contract situation still looms like a dark cloud over the New York Mets, but the Cy Young winner remains optimistic.
Perhaps the biggest question facing the New York Mets this spring is what they plan to do with Jacob deGrom. The ace is coming off a sparkling Cy Young campaign and he wants to rectify his contract situation.
The righty hurler has one more year of arbitration left after 2020, but he is seeking a long-term deal. He has also given the Mets until Opening Day to work out a deal before shutting down talks for the season. But despite this ultimatum, deGrom is confident that the two sides will work something out.
“Being a part of the future is definitely something that I would like to be a part of,” deGrom said to SNY. “That was a goal of mine so I think we’re hopeful so we’ll just see what happens.
“We have till the end of spring. So yeah, I’m optimistic.”
Although there is still some optimism from deGrom, this is a potentially volatile situation. There is speculation that his representation could impose some sort of limit on his workload if he doesn’t have a long-term deal in place.
Furthermore, if the two sides can’t agree on a deal, that could lead to potential trade speculation during the season.
On the other hand, there are still more than two weeks until Opening Day. It’s unclear how much progress has been made in negotiations, but general manager Brodie Van Wagenen isn’t buying into the perceived drama.
“I don’t view this as all or nothing,” Van Wagenen said. “I view this as a continuing part of our relationship with the player. … As we look forward, we want to make sure that we have the eye on the prize in the near-term and the long-term, and don’t get tunnel vision thinking that there is more negative impact or more drama than there necessarily is.”
There’s still time for the two sides to reach a deal, but the clock is ticking.
