Morning Briefing: Jacob DeGrom Wants to Stay if All is Equal

Good morning, Mets fans!

We’re deep into Hot Stove season now and we got yet another twist in the Jacob deGrom free agency saga on Saturday. According to Mike Puma of The New York Post, deGrom would prefer to remain with the New York Mets if the offer he receives from owner Steve Cohen is similar to the offers put on the table from other teams.

We know that the two-time Cy Young Award winner is looking to reset the market for starting pitchers, and Puma notes that the Mets are willing to give their face of the franchise a higher average annual value than Max Scherzer‘s $43.3 million, but they are reluctant to give out a lengthy multi-year deal. That is understandable given deGrom’s inability to stay on the field the past couple of seasons, but it is still worth the risk given what we know the ace can do on the mound.

It does appear as though the Mets stand a very good chance of re-signing their franchise cornerstone, with Puma also writing that any contract would feature incentives that, if met, would trigger additional seasons. So, the only threat to deGrom remaining in Queens is if a team is willing to blow the Mets out of the water with an offer that is high in both average annual value and also in length. Watch this space.

Now onto the morning briefing!

Latest Mets News

As mentioned above, if all remains equal and the Mets aren’t beaten on price or length of contract by another team, they have a very good change of re-signing deGrom and keeping the top of their rotation intact. With pitching a major area of need this offseason, bringing their ace starter back would be an excellent piece of business for the front office and it would once again underline Cohen’s commitment to winning. You can read the full report here.

Latest MLB News

Jon Morosi reports that free agent José Abreu has spoken with the San Diego Padres this month and he remains a top target for the team in free agency. Abreu is a power bat that can inject some pop into the middle of the lineup, which is something the Padres need. It is also worth noting that the Mets need some help at the DH spot, and it was thought that Abreu could be a good fit in Queens given his ability to make hard contact and get on base. The first baseman hit .304/.378/.446/.824 with 15 homers and 75 RBI for the White Sox in 2022.

Want a blast from the not so distant past? Well, Yoenis Céspedes is back! Yes, you heard that right. The former Met, who last played in the majors in 2020, will play for Cuba in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, per Francys Romero. Céspedes hit .279/.344/.539/.883 with 76 home runs and 205 RBI in 1,304 plate appearances across a five-year span for the Mets.

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The Mets have a reported interest in three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander should Jacob deGrom leave in free agency. However, Andrew Steele-Davis argues why the front office shouldn’t commit multiple years to Verlander.