Earlier today, we learned that Noah Syndergaard will launch tonight for the first time in two years. That’s excellent news.
But for Jacob deGrom, caution was called for. Because the season has no more at stake, he will officially not return.
He will have been dominant, but an injury will have kept him out exactly when the All-Star Game struck.
The question everyone asks is what to expect. Why? Because he has an exit option included in his contract after the 2022 season.
Will he use it? Nothing less sure.
Why? Because, as Andy Martino reported, the matter is getting more and more complicated.
In fact, last year it was clear that deGrom was going to take advantage of its exit option. It wasn’t necessarily to leave the Mets, but to get a bit closer to Gerrit Cole’s contract ($ 324 million over nine years) or Trevor Bauer’s average ($ 40 million per year).
At $ 137.5 million over five years, deGoat feels a bit underpaid.
Add to that the fact that deGrom doesn’t feel that the Mets want to pay his fair value since Steve Cohen arrived (negotiations are not going well) and the Mets controversies and we had an easy choice there.
But 2021 complicated the matter.
Martino chatted to the guys in the middle who confirmed that their ardor was slowed down a bit because of deGrom’s injuries and his age (33 years old, so 34 years old when he could become a free agent). If he asks Cole for a contract, he won’t get it.
A big 2022 season could reassure the other teams and allow him to hit the jackpot… but in the short term.
Meanwhile, the Mets will try to keep him in town and find common ground with him. They will have to go all out, however, because deGrom heard the landlord say he was willing to spend a lot.
And in the pitcher’s mind, it starts with him. Steve, don’t insult your best pitcher…
- Albert Pujols on the injured list.
