Jacob deGrom received a record-setting raise and four other key members of the Mets' stout roster more than doubled their respective salaries while avoiding an arbitration hearing.Reigning National League Cy Young Award winner deGrom agreed to a one-year, $17 million deal on Friday in his second year of arbitration eligibility. His $9.6 million raise eclipsed the record raise ($9.5 million) American League MVP Award winner Mookie Betts had received just a couple of hours earlier.
The Mets also reached agreements on one-year deals with each of their other unsigned arbitration-eligible players: Noah Syndergaard($6 million), Zack Wheeler ($5.975 million), Michael Conforto ($4.025 million) and Steven Matz ($2.625 million).While Wheeler gained a raise of slightly more than $4 million, Conforto's salary jumped $3.42 million and Syndergaard received a $3.025 million pay increase. Matz made $577,000 last year.Now that deGrom has learned his salary for the upcoming season, the focus will be on whether he receives a multiyear deal before potentially hitting the free-agent market for the first time in 2021. The 30-year-old right-hander was a near unanimous Cy Young Award winner after posting an MLB-low 1.70 ERA over a career-high 32 starts in '18.Wheeler's resurgence and return to health served as a key reason the Mets produced the NL East's best record over the season's final three months. The 28-year-old right-hander, who missed the 2015-16 seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery, posted a 2.06 ERA over his last 15 starts.Conforto belted a career-best 28 homers in a career-high 153 games, but the 25-year-old outfielder's OPS (.797) was down from his 2017 All-Star season (.939).After producing a 6.08 ERA in just 13 starts while dealing with irritation of the ulnar nerve in his left elbow during the 2017 season, the 27-year-old Matz remained healthy throughout most of last season, posting a 3.97 ERA over 30 starts.Mark Bowman/MLB.com
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