Mets ace Jacob deGrom talked to the media for the first time on Friday afternoon from Port St. Lucie. The two-time Cy Young Award winner talked about the Mets busy offseason, Steve Cohen, and his future.
The Mets continued their strong offseason on Friday when they signed starting pitcher Taijuan Walker. DeGrom is excited about what the Mets can do, “Looking around at the names in the locker room, it’s very exciting. Hopefully we can go out there and win a World Series. As for players, that’s always the expectation. Looking at the pieces we have added, we definitely want to get back (to the World Series.”
The right-hander does have an opt-out following the 2022, though he’s not thinking about it, “One thing I think is really really cool when anybody spends their entire career with one team. You don’t see it happen a whole lot anymore. So it’s definitely something that I’ve thought about and I guess it’s just something we have to see when that time comes.”
DeGrom said seeing how the fans treated David Wright had a significant impact on him. If deGrom decides not to opt-out, he’s under contract through the 2023 season and the Mets have a $32.5 million club option for the 2024 season.
DeGrom, a former college shortstop that hit two home runs in 2019, is excited about the lack of DH in the National League for the 2021 season. “Yeah I look forward to hitting,” deGrom said as he chuckled. “This might be the last year we get to do it, so I’m looking forward to doing it.”
