Primary Data: 34 (6/19/1988), B/T: L/R

Primary Stats: 11 GS, 5-4, 64 1/3 innings, 3.08 ERA, 102 SO, 8 BB, 0.746 WHIP
Advanced Stats: 2.13 FIP, 126 ERA+, 1.4 bWAR, 14.3 SO/9,  42.7 SO%, 1.1 BB/9, 1.3 HR/9, .175/.202/.323/.525

2022 Salary: $18.5 million

Grade: B+

2022 Review

Jacob deGrom came into the 2022 season with a clean slate. He was determined to leave his injury history in the past after he had his historic 2021 season halted by an elbow injury.

For the majority of spring training, it looked like deGrom had silenced the doubters. He was hitting 98 mph with his fastball and struck out ten batters in two dominating starts. Opening Day was on the horizon and the Mets were anticipating a comeback season from deGrom.

However, what should have been a precursor to the regular season morphed into another headline. The Mets had to shut down deGrom before his last spring training start due to an injury in his right shoulder. Shortly after, it was confirmed that deGrom would start the season on the IL with a stress reaction in his right scapula.

DeGrom was sidelined by the scapula injury for 103 games and made his season debut on August 2 against the Nationals. In his debut, deGrom displayed his amazing stuff and struck out six Nationals over five innings.

After his debut against the Nationals, deGrom went on a masterful comeback tour in August. In six starts, he recorded a 1.98 ERA, struck out 13.7 batters per nine, and held batters to a .136/.156/.232 slash line.

One of those August starts was a magnificent performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In front of the home fans at Citi Field, deGrom struck out nine Dodgers over seven innings. His only blemish was a solo home run to Mookie Betts and the Mets won 2-1.

Heading into September, the Mets had the division within their grasp. Unfortunately, deGrom and the team struggled against lower-level talent. He recorded a 6.00 ERA, including six home runs, in his last four starts and his ERA rose from 1.66 to 3.08.

The most disastrous of deGrom’s six starts was on September 30 against the Braves. In that start, he allowed three home runs over six innings as the Mets lost the game and were eventually swept out of first place in the final weekend of the season.

While September was horrid for deGrom, he did get in the record books. In a start against the Pirates on September 18, he recorded a 40th consecutive start of allowing three runs or fewer and broke the previous record of 39, set by Jim Scott in 1914.

DeGrom got the chance to redeem his terrible September when he made his Citi Field postseason debut against the Padres. With the season on the line, he struck out eight Padres and surrendered two runs over six innings. DeGrom’s performance propelled the Mets to a Game 2 victory and forced an eventual Game 3 loss.

Overall, the 2022 season was disappointing in regard to the standard set by deGrom. He finished with a 3.08 ERA and allowed a staggering 1.3 HR/9. However, the advanced numbers show that deGrom will bounce back in 2023. He struck out 42.7% of the batters he faced in 2022 and his 2.13 FIP was almost a whole run lower than his ERA. DeGrom also finished the year averaging 14.3 SO/9.

2023 Outlook

DeGrom has opted out of his five-year, $137 million contract with the Mets. He has become a free agent for the first time in his career.

The Mets have been rumored to have a strong interest in re-signing their homegrown ace. The interest is confirmed to be mutual by Mark Canha, who stated in an interview that deGrom wanted to come back.  However, it was reported by SNY that the Mets would not enter a bidding war with another team if a fourth year is involved.

The biggest threat to the Mets re-signing deGrom is the Texas Rangers. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, deGrom and his agent notified the Rangers he is interested in signing with them.

DeGrom has solidified himself as the best pitcher in MLB and will look to exceed Max Scherzer’s $43.3 million AAV. The big question mark preventing the ace from breaking the AAV record is his recent injury history. Expect deGrom to sign a 3-4 year deal with a $45 million AAV.

The Mets should do whatever it takes to re-sign deGrom. He has succeeded in his nine seasons in New York, winning the NL RoY in 2014 and two consecutive Cy Young awards from 2018 to 2019. While his injury history is in recent memory, it should not dissuade Steve Cohen from re-signing the best pitcher the organization has produced since Tom Seaver.