PORT ST. LUCIE — Jacob deGrom will become a free agent after the 2022 season.
The Mets ace said he will exercise his opt-out once he completes his ninth year in the big leagues.
DeGrom signed a team-friendly five-year, $137.5 million contract in 2019 that included an opt-out after the 2022 season. And after much speculation, the two-time Cy Young winner announced on Monday at spring training that he will indeed trigger that opt-out, and he will wait until after the season to discuss a new contract with owner Steve Cohen and the Mets.
“I won’t talk any more on this, but that’s the business side of baseball,” deGrom said in a press conference. “But for me, I don’t want that to be any distraction. I’m excited about this team, love being a Met, I think it would be really cool to be one my entire career. But the plan is to exercise that option and be in constant contact in the offseason with the Mets and Steve Cohen and the front office.”
On Sunday, Cohen sounded confident that the Mets would keep the ace in Queens. “Jake will do what he does,” Cohen said. “We love Jake and we’ll figure it out at some point.” First, though, is an important season for deGrom in which he will try to stay healthy for a full season. The right-hander indicated that the elbow inflammation that kept him out for the entire second half of 2021 is now completely healed.
DeGrom threw his first bullpen of spring training on Monday, under the close supervision of pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. The ace said he went through his normal offseason routine, including throwing 5-6 bullpens which felt “really good.” He has been told his UCL is “perfectly fine,” and he’s confident he can get back to making 30-plus starts and pitching more than 200 innings.
“I feel really good,” deGrom said. “I’ve been throwing prior to coming down here, preparing for being told when to show up. It felt good. Treated it like a normal offseason. Threw 30 [pitches] off the mound and then I think the plan is to [face hitters] this week and then into games. So I’m looking forward to it.”
JAKE GETS 4TH OPENING DAY NOD
In the least surprising news of the day, Showalter announced on Monday that deGrom is slated to take the hill for Opening Day on April 7 against the Nationals in D.C. This will be deGrom’s fourth consecutive Opening Day nod. He will become the first Mets pitcher to start four straight openers since Dwight Gooden did so from 1988-91.
TAIJUAN AND MARTE INJURY FLAGS
Taijuan Walker underwent right knee surgery, a debridement procedure, in mid January. Walker is a few steps behind the other starters — he is in a running progression before being cleared for full-game activity. The Mets are still hopeful Walker will be a part of their Opening Week rotation.
Starling Marte is dealing with left oblique soreness. The new Mets centerfielder went for X-rays and other tests, which did not reveal any damage, per Showalter. Marte did not participate in Monday’s workouts out of caution, and the Mets do not appear overly concerned about the oblique soreness.
“With that type of area, it always puts a flag up initially,” Showalter said of Marte. “But so far so good.”
CANO ADDRESSES THE CLUBHOUSE
Robinson Cano addressed the Mets clubhouse on Monday regarding his second-career PED suspension.
Showalter said his tone could be described as apologetic, and that players were receptive to what he had to say. Cano didn’t explain why he took PEDs again, but that he was grateful to be given the opportunity to be back with the team. The second baseman is scheduled to speak to the media on Wednesday.
Showalter added that he believes the Mets missed Cano’s veteran presence in the clubhouse last season. Given the drama that unfolded in Queens last year — the squabble between Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil in the tunnel and the thumbs-down mess — it stands to reason that the Mets could certainly use some leadership in the clubhouse. The front office prioritized adding veteran leaders this offseason, as evidenced by the acquisitions of Scherzer, Marte, Eduardo Escobar and others.
BASSITT’S NEW DIGS
New Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt, who figures to slide into the rotation as the No. 3 starter behind deGrom and Scherzer, is enjoying the win-now atmosphere around spring training.
“We only have one goal, and that’s to win it all,” he said.
Though the right-hander wouldn’t explicitly criticize his former organization, the A’s have made it clear they are tanking this season. For Bassitt, the change in scenery and competition is a welcome reversal from his time in Oakland.
“Whatever we want, we’re getting,” Bassitt said of having Cohen as the team owner. “He wants to win. We all want to win. So we all have a common goal from literally the very top to the bottom. I think we definitely have an advantage over a lot of the league.”