New York Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen spoke to the team’s press corps on Thursday from the Mets’ training facilities in Port St. Lucie (video via SNY). Unsurprisingly, the main topic of conversation from Van Wagenen’s second presser in as many days was reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, Jacob deGrom and his ongoing contract negotiations.
After agreeing to a one-year, $17 million deal earlier in the offseason, avoiding arbitration, the 30-year-old ace is in line for a long-term, lucrative contract extension. Van Wagenen and his staff are currently “going through their considerations on the club side”, with a presumed meeting between the Mets and deGrom’s representation to follow soon after both sides’ analyses are complete.
“No, there have not been offers made yet, on either side. And yes, Jacob is 100 percent a part of our future now and hopefully for years to come,” Van Wagenen replied when asked what the “hold up” was in offering deGrom a contract. “Contract negotiations can be complicated processes […] but there have been discussions already about what we’d like him to be a part of.”
“My goal is to have Jacob be here for the long haul and we are going to be operating this spring with that goal in mind. Regardless of what happens before Opening Day, we’re going to continue to have that mindset,” Van Wagenen said. “From this chair, I think he’s important to what our plan is and our execution of the win-now-and-win-in-the-future mantra.”
DeGrom put together a magical season last year, leading the majors with his 1.70 earned-run average, 1.99 fielding independent pitching rating, 2.60 xFIP, 8.8 wins above replacement (FanGraphs), and a minuscule 0.41 home runs allowed per nine innings, taking home the most prestigious hardware there is for a major league pitcher in the process.
His 11.16 strikeouts per nine innings were a career-high and his 1.91 walks per nine innings were just over a tenth of a percentage point shy of his career-low mark (1.79, set in 2015).
Now, as expected, the Florida native is looking to get paid. Last year at the All-Star Game, Van Wagenen — still deGrom’s agent at the time — gave the Mets a clear ultimatum, basically telling the Mets to either sign or trade their prized hurler.
Now that the time has come for the organization to make right by their all-world right-hander, it appears as if Van Wagenen (from the other side of the negotiating table) is dragging his feet. Though, as he noted, this is a process. But with an Opening Day deadline set by the player to either have a deal in place or put negotiations on the back burner until next offseason, one would imagine the pace will pick up some time very soon.
“I think it’s important to make sure that we have clarity of his situation going forward. I don’t view this as all or nothing,” Van Wagenen told the media. “I view this as a continuing part of our relationship with the player, my personal relationship with the player. I think it’s an evolution in his career.”
“Naturally, he’s making a lot more money now that what he did two years ago and that will clearly continue,” Van Wagenen said. “As we look forward, we want to make sure that we have the eye on the prize […] and don’t get tunnel vision thinking there’s more negative impact or more drama than there necessarily is.”
DeGrom spoke to the press on Thursday as well, expressing hope for a middle-ground to be reached but also showing signs of exasperation at the entirety of the process.
“I wouldn’t say I’m frustrated. I have a job to do and that’s to get ready to play baseball. I try to block all that [contract] stuff out,” he said. “That’s for my agents. That’s what they’re there for; to work these things out and to make it where I can just focus on getting ready for the season.”
“The line of communication is still open. We have not received an offer but they continue to talk,” deGrom said. “[As] I’ve said before, I really enjoy playing here and would like to be here but that’s kind of up to [the Mets].”
Van Wagenen has “no doubt the two sides will know each other’s positions” by the conclusion of Spring Training and notes, “hopefully, we’ll be on the same page”.
The fan base seconds that.
