NEW YORK -- The Mets have agreed to a landmark deal to keep one of their brightest stars in Flushing for the next half-decade. The team and Jacob deGrom have come to terms on a five-year contract worth $137.5 million, multiple sources confirmed Tuesday morning. The deal, which replaces his current contract, includes a $32.5 million club option for 2024, an opt-out after 2022 and a full no-trade clause. The Mets have not confirmed the agreement.
The 30-year-old right-hander, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, had two seasons remaining under team control. He is now assured of being a Met through his age-36 season.The Mets’ Opening Day starter against the Nationals on Thursday, deGrom went 10-9 with a 1.70 ERA and 269 strikeouts last season.“Being a part of the future is definitely something that I would like to be a part of,” deGrom said earlier this spring. “That was a goal of mine.”Last summer, deGrom’s agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, stated publicly that the Mets should either sign or trade their ace, setting off a flurry of news stories that did not ultimately lead to action. deGrom continued pitching, blossoming into a Cy Young winner, and Van Wagenen became the Mets’ general manager in October.Unwilling to let any contract uncertainty extend into another regular season, deGrom’s camp announced this spring that he was setting an Opening Day deadline for talks. The Mets and deGrom agreed to terms with two days to spare, in a marketplace that has seen a number of star pitchers, including Justin Verlander, Chris Sale and Blake Snell, recently agree to deals.Sale’s five-year, $145 million contract with the Red Sox seemingly set the benchmark for deGrom’s deal. The left-hander is a year younger than deGrom and was a year closer to free agency when he signed it, which may explain why he got slightly more guaranteed money. Sale’s deal also includes an opt-out after the 2022 season, potentially setting up both Sale and deGrom to be part of the 2022-23 free-agent class.A ninth-round Draft pick in 2010, deGrom won NL Rookie of the Year honors in 2014, and won three postseason games for the Mets the following year. He has since become one of the most successful pitchers in franchise history, ranking second behind only Tom Seaver with a 2.67 career ERA. de Grom’s new contract carries the largest average annual value of any pitcher drafted lower than 11th overall.
Anthony DiComo/ MLB.com
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