As we all know, Jacob deGrom has been arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball this season, but his 8-8 record stand in the way of his chances of winning the Cy Young Award this season.

DeGrom, 30, sat down with Joel Sherman of the New York Post to discuss his chances and approach to winning it, while also discussing his contract situation with the organization.

While everyone would love to win the award, deGrom says that it has absolutely no bearing on how he approaches each and every start.

“I am not thinking about it when I am out there. That is just how I take the mound. The goal is not to give up any runs, so it is me against you. This is what I have, let me see if you can hit it. Here we go. That’s how I take the mound. Honestly, it has not changed, even with the increased talk of Cy Young.”

The right-hander also said that he actually was prepared to deal with his struggles to secure a win after his rookie season in 2014, where he failed to secure his first MLB victory until his eighth start.

“In 2014, when I came up, I threw the ball pretty well and I could not get a win. I had a couple of starts that weren’t so good, and I started thinking about it. I learned from that to go out there and control what I can control. That means what am I about to throw and where am I about to throw it. I honestly think that was a big help for me.”

DeGrom also touched upon his agent’s request for a new contract, but this time admitted that the Mets “have every right to ride me for the next two years [until his free agency] and say, ‘See you later.’ ”

Right now, he is set to go to arbitration both this offseason and next, before hitting free agency after the 2020 season.

Going back to the Cy Young Award race, though, deGrom admits that it is pretty tight between himself, Max Scherzer, and Aaron Nola.

“If I took myself out of it and put somebody where I am at, I would honestly have a tough time voting.”

Nonetheless, he is prepared to just go out there and pitch the rest of the way.

“I still have to go out seven times and throw to the best of my ability. A lot can happen in seven starts. I know how those other guys [Nola and Scherzer] are throwing. But my mindset doesn’t change. I take the mound, I am trying to put us in position to win.”

DeGrom is in the midst of a historic season, despite his lowly record right now. Currently, he has a 1.71 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 214 strikeouts in 174 innings of work (26 starts).