Photo Credit: Corey Sipkin of New York Post
All the top decision-makers in baseball were in Las Vegas on Tuesday as the GM Meetings kicked off what is sure to be an offseason filled with big-time players changing teams and no lockout or shortened season talk. That meant Mets’ general manager Billy Eppler talked to the media for the first time since the World Series ended and he touched on a variety of different topics that we will fill you in on.
Staying in Touch With deGrom
Jacob deGrom officially opted out of his contract on Monday making him a free agent and arguably one of the best available so now the Mets are tasked with keeping the two-time Cy Young winner in Flushing. “Jake exercised the right in his contract so we just made a pact to stay in touch,” Eppler said.
Mets’ outfielder Mark Canha and Phillies’ pitchers Zack Wheeler have all recently said deGrom liked New York and would like to return to the Mets. “I think there is a good deal of interest there [to stay] on his part,” Eppler said. “That was articulated a number of times through the season and reiterated in our most recent conversation.”
DeGrom, 34, pitched to a 3.08 ERA, 2.13 FIP, 0.75 WHIP, and struck out 102 batters in 64 1/3 innings this year. He followed that with six innings of two-run ball in the Mets’ lone postseason win.
Mets Hire Director of Pitching Development
MMO broke the news on Tuesday that the Mets were hiring former Reds assistant pitching coach Eric Jagers to be their director of pitching development. Eppler said that Mets’ pitching coach Jeremy Hefner had a large say in the hiring of Jagers. “[Hefner] actually went through all the interviews for all the candidates,” Eppler said. “We’re really happy to get Eric on board and watch him kind of implement his vision and give him all the tools and latitude, and the synchronicity he had with Jeremy Hefner was a major factor in him getting this job.”
Jagers, 27, worked on the Reds’ big league staff for two seasons and has spent time working with Driveline since 2018.
“You just want to be able to answer every question, so if a player has questions you want to have them talk to somebody from a technical expertise and maybe from a psychological expertise. If we can really have that diversity of thought we should be able to serve the players for what they need,” Eppler said.
No Decision on Carrasco Yet
One major decision still looms for the Mets as they have a $14 million team option for starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco for the 2023 season. If the Mets declined the option, they would have to pay a $3 million buyout. Eppler said the Mets have yet to make a decision with the deadline being Thursday for that.
The 35-year-old went 15-7 with a 3.97 ERA, 3.53 FIP, and struck out 152 batters in 152 innings for the Mets in 2022. The 152 innings and 29 starts are the veteran’s highs since the 2018 season with Cleveland.
Mets’ starters Taijuan Walker, Chris Bassitt, and the aforementioned deGrom have all become free agents giving New York a great need to find innings for their 2023 rotation.
Little Nuggets
Eppler said that he won’t discuss the record contract the Mets gave Edwin Díaz until it becomes official.
The Mets officially picked up the $1.5 million option for 2023 on designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach. The Mets have not made
Eppler noted that the Mets have already been in contact with the agents for free agent center fielder Brandon Nimmo. “I think there’s gonna be strong communication there as well,” Eppler said.
The media also asked about his philosophy from the 2022 trade deadline to keep some of the Mets top prospects in hopes of building a long-term winner. “Historically if you look at some organizations that have built that sustainability they haven’t really traded inside their top-4 for like the first four, five, six, seven years of that type of blueprint being constructed and then implemented. That’s ultimately where we’re at, but if the right player comes along, there are no absolutes,” Eppler said.
