Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Jacob deGrom could end up remaining a New York Met if all is equal in free agency and the contract offer he receives from the front office is similar to the ones he gets from other teams.

Per Mike Puma of The New York Post, sources indicate that deGrom would prefer to remain in Queens with the only major league organization he’s ever known, provided there isn’t a massive difference between what’s put on the table from other teams throughout the free agency process.

It has been widely reported that the two-time Cy Young Award winner is looking to reset the market for starting pitchers by landing a mega deal that exceeds the $130 million contract Max Scherzer signed with the Mets last winter. After opting out of his contract, which he always intended to do, deGrom is one of the biggest names available on the open market and the likes of the Rangers, Dodgers, Cubs and Yankees could all be in play for one of the best starters in all of baseball.

Interestingly, Puma notes in his story that, per a source, deGrom has winning high on his priority list when it comes to choosing his next destination and he believes that the Mets are now in a position to compete for the World Series year after year after year. After all, Cohen has used his billions to revamp the roster and that is set to continue this offseason with the front office looking to build a sustainable winner.

Players from the past and present have also revealed that deGrom has made it clear to them that he wants to remain a Met, but it seems that he will go wherever the best offer is. According to Puma, the Mets would be willing to give their ace the money he so desires but on a shorter contract that has the option for additional seasons based on reaching and achieving certain incentives. It is believed that the front office is reluctant to give a long-term deal to a 34-year-old who has struggled to stay on the field over the course of the last two seasons.

Puma notes in his story that the Mets would be willing to give deGrom a higher average annual value than Scherzer’s $43.3 million, but it does seem as though there is a ceiling in place when it comes to the length of any potential contract. If another team is willing to go longer and give a four or five-year deal to deGrom, then that could be enough to seal his fate when it comes to his future at Citi Field.

All signs do point towards deGrom remaining in a Mets uniform in 2023 and beyond, and that would be a huge boost for a team that still needs to rebuild its rotation. Currently, only Scherzer and Carlos Carrasco are under contract for next year with Taijuan Walker and Chris Bassitt also hitting free agency, while David Peterson and Tylor Megill could be in line for potential bigger roles at the bottom of the rotation.

Three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander is reportedly being considered as a potential replacement for deGrom, although the veteran starter would also command a deal similar to the one Scherzer signed last year. As we explored here, giving a long-term contract to Verlander carries significant risk given he will be 40-years-old in 2023 and he has only just returned from Tommy John Surgery.

In any case, keeping deGrom is Plan A for the Mets and that shouldn’t come as any real surprise to anyone. The righty holds extreme importance to the team and he is very much considered a key franchise cornerstone that demands huge respect at and away from the ballpark. Plus, despite suffering with injury troubles for much of the past two seasons, deGrom absolutely dominated upon making his long-awaited return to the mound in 2022. After making his season debut on August 2, the ace pitched to a stellar 1.63 ERA with 63 strikeouts and just four walks in his first seven starts of the year. He did fade away somewhat down the stretch, but still finished the year with a 3.08 ERA, 2.13 FIP, 0.75 WHIP, and 102 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings.

Despite his injury troubles and inability to stay healthy in recent seasons, deGrom still firmly belongs in the upper echelons of best pitchers in all of baseball right now, and his body of work means that he does deserve to be one of the best paid starters in the game. And, in the light of this recent report, if the Mets can even get close to other offers out there in terms of both money and length of contract, then they seem to stand a pretty good chance of re-signing their ace starter and face of the franchise.