We received quite the news story today, didn’t we?
DeGrom and the Mets agreed on a five year deal, worth 137.5 million dollars. The pact includes a team option, so deGrom could potentially be here through his age 36 season.
This is a steal for the Mets.
Over these last few weeks, I repeatedly found myself in online arguments with Met fans regarding a possible deGrom extension. Listen, I know I should find a more productive hobby. But this needed to be said…
JACOB DEGROM IS A PERFECT EXTENSION CANDIDATE!
- He can pitch in big games.
- He came up as a shortstop, so there’s not too much mileage on his arm.
- He doesn’t need to rely on blowing hitters away.
- His slender athletic frame is conducive to him pitching well into his 30s.
Now what are the arguments against this?
- The Mets don’t NEED to extend him now.
- The Mets hold the cards.
- They have another year of control.
- He’s 30.
- He’s unlikely to repeat his 2018 season.
- What if he gets hurt?
The last point you can safely ignore because it’s ludicrous. Anyone can get hurt. Going by that logic why should you sign anyone?
But, yeah. The Mets did have another year of control. Is Jacob deGrom really the guy you want to bet against to have a bad season though? Did you want to risk him testing free agency?
No. You don’t. Here are the pitchers that might be available in the year deGrom would have been eligible for free agency.
- Jake Arrietta
- Trevor Bauer
- Robbie Ray
- Masahiro Tanaka
- José Quintana
- Marcus Stroman
- Kyle Hendricks
Tanaka is the same age as deGrom and his UCL is falling off. Jake Arrietta is almost 3 years older than deGrom and is on a steep decline. Let’s eliminate those names.
I think that Trevor Bauer will be in the running for AL Cy Young this year. I expect big things from Robbie Ray. Kyle Hendricks is solid and I’m surprised the Cubs have not locked him up. (Or done anything for that matter.)
Do you really want to see the Mets in a bidding war for these pitchers? Do you trust the fallback options here? Marcus Stroman and José Quintana? Tell me with a straight face you prefer either of those names to deGrom going forward.
I really don’t see how the Mets would have been able to adequately replace deGrom internally or on the open market.
Zack Wheeler is eligible for free agency after this season. Noah Syndergaard made some comments the other day that may have indirectly propelled the deGrom talks. But after being so vocal about deGrom and Syracuse, I’d be shocked if he is in the team’s long term plans now. Can we rely on Steven Matz? The pitching staff is going to need to be addressed pretty soon.
Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard. All of these pitchers, some more than others, have given the Mets a ton of value. Do you realize how difficult it is to hit on one pitcher, let alone five?!
How likely is that to happen again?
When you find a Jacob deGrom you keep him. Look around and tell me if you see another deGrom out there. Skills and talent aside. The leadership. The manner in which he conducts himself. He went 10-9 in a season where he won the Cy Young Award,and he didn’t kill anyone in the clubhouse. Could you ask for a better teammate?
I’m so proud of the Mets today.