Jacob deGrom To Opt-Out Of Contract After 2022, Would Love To Stay With Mets 'For Life'

Ace pitcher Jacob deGrom confirmed that he plans to opt-out of his contract after the season. However, his preference is to stay with the Mets "for life."

It was a warm sunny morning at Clover Park on Monday when Jacob deGrom lined up to toss a bullpen next to his new teammate Max Scherzer for the first time since his former National League East foe signed a lucrative deal with the Mets back in November. 

This elite tandem's throwing session provided a teaser of the greatness that they're expected to portray on the mound this season as the Mets' 1-2 punch atop the rotation. 

Afterwards, deGrom took to the podium in the press conference room to talk to reporters for the first time since addressing his elbow injury in September of last season. 

According to deGrom, he has been told that his UCL is fine, and he hasn't felt discomfort in his arm since after the All-Star break. DeGrom, who dealt with what was initially ruled as right elbow inflammation, was later diagnosed with a sprained UCL, knocking him out for the remainder of the season following his July 7 start against the Brewers.

DeGrom threw "five or six" bullpens prior to arriving to camp. He also confirmed that he was able to endure a regular offseason program with no restrictions, and is "confident" that he can make 30+ starts in 2022. 

Yesterday, Mets owner Steve Cohen revealed that the team will not address deGrom's contract situation until after the season. DeGrom can exercise the opt-out clause in his deal following the 2022 campaign. 

When asked about Cohen's comments from Sunday, deGrom sounded like he was on the same page as ownership. He also made one thing abundantly clear. 

"That's the plan," deGrom said, referring to his intention to opt-out after the season, "That's the business side of baseball and as a player, you build in opt-outs, but I don't want that to be a distraction.

"Like I said, I'm excited about this team. And I've said it before, I love being a Met, (and) think it would be really cool to be one for my entire career."

If deGrom bounces back to being the dominant Cy Young caliber ace he was before suffering a season-ending injury in 2021, he is destined to draw a massive contract in free agency next year. 

And although he will be heavily sought after on the open market, he doesn't intend on shutting out the only team he has ever known in his career. 

"The plan is to exercise that option, and be in constant contact in the offseason with the Mets, Steve Cohen and the front office," he said. 

DeGrom went onto acknowledge the exciting moves that the Mets have made this offseason. Unsurprisingly, he is looking forward to taking the field with his new teammates, especially Scherzer. 

"It's exciting to see what ownership is doing, and going and getting guys," he said. "This is going to be an exciting place to be."