Mets' Eppler: DeGrom 'knows how we feel' about him

New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler believes Jacob deGrom has a good relationship with the team heading into an offseason in which the ace right-hander could opt out of his contract to test free agency.

"I did have some time one-on-one with Jake (on) Sunday night, late, might have even been Monday morning by then," Eppler said Friday, according to Ryan Chichester of WFAN. "He knows how we feel, and I know how he feels. We had a good amount of dialogue over the course of the season."

DeGrom, who said in the spring he plans to opt out of his current deal, has played his entire nine-year career with New York. He won back-to-back National League Cy Young Awards between 2018 and 2019 and has been named an All-Star four times.

"I think we have a sense of what makes the other one tick," Eppler said. "I think things are positive, and the relationship is positive. We'll see where it ultimately goes, but he knows how we feel."

DeGrom will arguably be the top pitching target available on the open market despite significant injury issues over the last two campaigns. Mets owner Steve Cohen said in late August the club will do whatever it takes to keep the 34-year-old.

New York inked deGrom to a five-year, $137.5-million extension in March 2019. He owns a 2.52 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 10.9 K/9 over 1,326 innings (209 starts) with the Mets.