Mark Canha: Jacob deGrom 'Wants to Come Back' to New York Mets

Mark Canha says Jacob deGrom told him he wants to come back to the Mets.
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According to Mets outfielder Mark Canha, ace pitcher Jacob deGrom told him he wants to re-sign with the team this offseason.

“Jake told me he wants to come back, too, and he really likes it here, too,” Canha told Mike Puma of The New York Post. “I think Jake and Max [Scherzer] and [Chris] Bassitt have a really good friendship they have developed over this year and good professional relationship, too.”

DeGrom, who signed a five-year, $137.5 million extension with the Mets back in 2019, is expected to decline his $30.5 million option to become a free agent.

Recently, former Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler told The Post that deGrom told him he is happy in New York. Wheeler added that he thinks deGrom just wants to be compensated for what he has accomplished.

Canha went on to describe his first season in New York as "everything I could've hoped for and more." He also said he does not want to play anywhere else.

'I think it helps that I played well and did a decent job, but I don’t want to play anywhere else," he said. 'If I could finish my career with the Mets, it would be ideal because I love it so much. It’s kind of revitalized my passion for the game, actually."

Canha also told The Post that he thinks Bassitt, his former Oakland Athletics teammate, "will be back."

“I think we both felt like we had a chance to win a World Series [in New York], so I think he really values that and being around the caliber of talent we have on the pitching staff,” Canha said of the right-hander. “And I think he realizes that’s special, and I would like to believe he would want to run it back and do it again.”

As hopeful as Canha is for deGrom and Bassitt to re-sign with the Mets, he has no idea of the status of Edwin Diaz and Brandon Nimmo

“I have no idea where they’re at,” he said. “They both had really good years. I’m sure they want to be compensated for that and deserve it, rightly so. But I don’t know where that leads us. “I’d love to have them back." 

Read More:

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- Mets 'Prioritizing' Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo in Free Agency

- Mets 'Absolutely' Want to Re-Sign Edwin Diaz

Follow Pat Ragazzo on Twitter (@ragazzoreport), be sure to bookmark Inside The Mets and check back daily for news, analysis and more.


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Pat Ragazzo
PAT RAGAZZO

Pat Ragazzo is the reporter, publisher, site manager and executive editor for Sports Illustrated's Mets and Yankees On SI websites. Pat was selected as The Top Reporter & Publisher of the Year 2024 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to the industry. He has been seen on several major TV Network stations including: NBC4, CBS2, FOX5, PIX11 and NY1; and is frequently heard on ESPN New York FM 880 AM and WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM as a guest. Pat also serves as the Mets insider for the "Allow Me 2 Be Frank" podcast hosted by Frank "The Tank" Fleming of Barstool Sports. You can follow him on Twitter/X: @ragazzoreport.