Jacob deGrom's options as salary arbitration deadline nears

Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom at Citi Field on Sept. 11, 2018. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Jacob deGrom is about to cash in on his Cy Young Award season, and the Mets will have to pay him a lot now — or a lot more later.
The 30-year-old deGrom is baseball’s highest-profile player eligible for salary arbitration as the teams and players prepare to exchange figures by Friday’s 1 p.m. deadline. DeGrom leads a list of six Mets that includes Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Michael Conforto, Steven Matz and Travis d’Arnaud.
General manager Brodie Van Wagenen, who was deGrom’s agent before taking the Mets job, is not involved in the negotiations, a baseball source reiterated Tuesday. But when Van Wagenen became the GM, he certainly did not recuse himself from speaking about his former client’s value to the franchise.
“Jacob deGrom clearly has established himself as the best pitcher in baseball,’’ Van Wagenen said in late October. “I think you want to try to identify the best players and you want to keep them as long as possible . . . Make no mistake, I believe Jacob deGrom is an incredible talent, and I intend to keep him a long time.’’
That essentially was a doubling down of the position Van Wagenen took at last season's All-Star break while still deGrom’s agent, just more muted than the virtual "sign him long term or trade him" message.
The Mets can opt for a one-year deal and avoid arbitration if deGrom agrees with the club’s offer. DeGrom, who is not eligible for free agency until after the 2020 season, has consistently said he wants to remain with the Mets on a long-term deal. “I think anybody is open to an extension if it's right for you and your family,’’ deGrom told MLB.com in November. “Nothing is guaranteed in this game until you sign that deal or hit free agency and sign a deal there."
Entering into a long-term deal with deGrom now might not be viable for the Mets, who still owe injured Yoenis Cespedes $58.5 million over the next two seasons and retired David Wright $27 million for the same time frame. But the longer they wait, the more they are likely to pay to retain deGrom.
DeGrom’s new agent is Jeff Berry of the same Creative Arts Agency where Van Wagenen worked. Berry did not return a call seeking comment.
Two winters ago, deGrom agreed to a salary of $4.05 million for the 2017 season, then earned another hefty raise, making $7.4 million for 2018. And now, after winning the National League Cy Young Award, deGrom will enter a vastly different financial stratosphere. He was 10-9, but had a 1.70 ERA and set a single-season record with 24 consecutive quality starts.
An agent who represents MLB players recently said deGrom could earn in the $14-million range for a one-year contract or a seven-year deal estimated at $190 million. David Price set the arbitration record for a pitcher in 2015 when he agreed to $19.75 million with the Tigers. A more apt comparison to deGrom could be the $15.525-million deal Max Scherzer received from the Tigers in 2014 after winning his first Cy Young Award. Scherzer later signed a seven-year, $210-million deal with the Nationals as a free agent.