We all know that New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is willing to spend to make his team a contender — doing just that as this year’s squad is currently first place in the NL East.
Despite his 2021 season ending before the All-Star break and his 2022 season not starting until August, Jacob deGrom has said numerous times that he will opt out of his contract this winter, giving up the final two years of his five-year, $137.5 million deal with the Mets.
“That’s the plan: exercise that option and be in constant contact in the offseason with the Mets and Steve Cohen and the front office,” deGrom said back in March, before the stress reaction in his scapula that cost him four months.
While deGrom’s decision to opt out seems like a done deal, Cohen has made it known that he wants the two-time Cy Young winner to remain in Queens.
“Listen, he certainly has the right to do that. We love Jacob, and I think he’s the best pitcher in baseball,” Cohen told The New York Post on Saturday before the Mets hosted the Rockies at Citi Field. “We’ll do whatever we can to make sure he stays. But it’s his decision, not ours.”
DeGrom was on a record pace before suffering an elbow injury last season, having a 7-2 record with a 1.08 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, and 146 strikeouts in 92 innings over 15 starts.
Since his return to the mound against the Nationals, deGrom is 3-1 with a 2.15 ERA in five starts in 2022, with 46 strikeouts against just two walks and a 0.545 WHIP in 29 1/3 innings.
While deGrom loves Mets fans, he will likely make a lot more money if he opts out compared to the $63 million he could make on the final two years of his deal — $30.5 million in 2023, and a $32.5 million club option for 2024.
Despite Cohen wanting to keep his star pitcher in Flushing, he says the team will circle back to dealing with his contract situation once the season concludes.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, all right,” Cohen said. “Right now we’re trying to win our division and we’re going to sit down with Jake and try to figure it out at the end of the season.”
