Report: deGrom sets Opening Day deadline for contract extension
The clock is ticking for the New York Mets.
Cy Young pitcher Jacob deGrom has informed the team he won't negotiate a new contract during the regular season, a source told Mike Puma of the New York Post on Tuesday.
DeGrom's camp has apparently set Opening Day as the deadline to reach an agreement on a new deal.
The two-time All-Star, who is eligible for free agency after the 2020 season, is reportedly seeking a long-term contract that will buy out his remaining arbitration year.
DeGrom's agent, Jeff Berry, met with Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon at the winter meetings in December to discuss his client's future but contract negotiations have failed to pick up steam, a source told Puma.
Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said during last year's All-Star break that the team should either extend the right-hander's contract or trade him. Van Wagenen was deGrom's representative at the time.
The agent-turned-executive is now on the other side of deGrom's negotiations. He confirmed Tuesday the two sides "continue to have dialogue and (the) concept of an Opening Day deadline for contract discussion is a mutual understanding."
Here's Brodie Van Wagenen on Jacob deGrom's contract deadline. He says it's not a big deal, but a mutual understanding: pic.twitter.com/2KT0XnfENK
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) February 12, 2019
"We know how important he is to the organization," Van Wagenen added, according to MLB.com's Anthony Dicomo. "And I think it will be my job to make sure there's no strained relationship no matter what takes place as we continue to move forward."
If deGrom doesn't receive an extension, the 30-year-old could put workload restrictions on himself, a source told Puma.
After authoring a league-best 1.70 ERA across 217 innings last season, deGrom avoided arbitration in January by agreeing to a $17-million contract for 2019.