Report: Chicago Cubs Willing to Extend Jacob deGrom Three-Year Offer

According to a new report, the Chicago Cubs are interested in offering Jacob deGrom a three-year deal on the free agent market.

Jacob deGrom might end up being the most coveted player on the free agent market in the winter of 2023, but perhaps to a far greater extent than is good for him.

A similar circumstance occurred with Carlos Correa in 2022. Correa should have been the top earner last winter, but due to the lockout and other extenuating factors, he didn't sign with a team until spring training was well underway.

Because he did not get the long-term deal he desired, Correa ended up signing a three-year deal with the Minnesota Twins that included opt-outs after each year. The Chicago Cubs hope deGrom's market falls apart in a similar fashion.

According to David Kaplan, in his appearances on Des Moines' KXNO radio on Wednesday, the Cubs are interested in deGrom on a three-year deal.

Seeing as deGrom has been so injured over the past several years, few teams will be willing to take such a risk on him and extend him a contract lasting more than several years.

The best way for deGrom to improve his market is to bet on himself, make sure his arm is entirely healthy, and then reclaim his Cy Young form. 

DeGrom has pitched just 224.1 innings since 2019, granted, it has been at an ERA of 2.05, but 2022 was the weakest year of his career. Not since 2017 has he had such a high ERA, at 3.08 over only 64.1 innings deGrom should yearn for more.

If the Cubs can be persuaded to give deGrom a deal like Correa's, in which opt-outs are included after every year, perhaps a three-year $150 million deal could find common ground between the Cubs and the best pitcher in baseball.

Of course, this is all precluded by the fact that deGrom must exercise his player option, but $63 million from the New York Mets over 2023 and 2024 is far less than he would make on the free-agent market.

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