Jacob deGrom returned to the mound on Wednesday morning, throwing a successful bullpen at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie under the watchful eyes of coaches and trainers. By all accounts deGrom looked strong, displaying full range of motion, good velocity, and his usual pinpoint control.
.@JdeGrom19 throwing a bullpen session. #Mets #SpringTraining pic.twitter.com/yN4kowTJsX
— New York Mets (@Mets) February 24, 2016
DeGrom was pulled from throwing his bullpen session on Monday, due to some tightness in his left groin. He did not throw off a mound on Tuesday as a precaution, but did do some long-tossing.
The 27-year old right-hander won 14 games last season and posted an outstanding 2.54 ERA and 0.979 WHIP in 30 starts for the Mets. He also saw his K/9 improve to 9.7, and his K/BB jumped from 3.35 to 5.13.
In an exclusive interview with Kevin Kernan of the New York Post, deGrom said he was open to working out an extension deal to remain with the Mets long-term.
“I’m a little bit older so I might be more willing to do something like that,’’ deGrom said. “You just have to look at what is fair so both sides get a decent deal. It’s something I’d have to look into and make sure I agree with it.’’
The Mets have yet to approach him about an extension, but GM Sandy Alderson has said that the team could begin extension talks with some of the young starting pitchers during Spring Training.
A super-two player, deGrom could become eligible for arbitration as soon as the end of this season, but that won’t be known until much later on in the year. He earned $556,875 last season, finishing sixth in the NL Cy Young voting.
