The Mets and ace Jacob deGrom have agreed to a one-year, $4.05 million deal to avoid arbitration, reports ESPN’s Adam Rubin. His contract will also come with performance bonuses. deGrom’s base salary is slightly lower than the $4.225 million projected by Pace.
deGrom had another solid season for the Mets, finishing the year with a 3.04 ERA over 148 innings pitched. He was plagued a bit by fatigue early in the season, watching his velocity drop from 2015. However, he still managed to pitch very well and saw his velocity rise after a few months.
His numbers were slightly worse across the board than 2015, with deGrom seeing a higher ERA (2.54 in 2015), a lower strikeout rate, and a higher walk rate in 2016. Nonetheless, he was still the second-best starter on the team behind Noah Syndergaard.
deGrom’s season came to an abrupt end in September, when he had surgery to repair nerve damage in his right elbow. He will be ready for the start of camp in February.
