PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The New York Mets renewed All-Star pitcher Jacob deGrom‘s contract for $607,000 Friday after the sides could not agree on a deal for the 2016 season.
DeGrom, who helped the Mets reach the World Series for the first time since 2000, gets a 9 per cent raise from his earnings last year, when he had a $531,875 salary plus a $25,000 bonus for winning the 2014 NL Rookie of the Year award, a total of $556,875.
"That’s the business side of the game," deGrom said. "That’s why I hired my agents. I feel like I have some of the best in the business, and it’s a business decision that we decided to make. We have great respect for the Mets and the system they have, and I feel like we have a great relationship with them. As I’ve said before, I love playing here and I want to be in this uniform for a long time. It was just a decision based on the business side of the game."
Under baseball’s collective bargaining agreement, the Mets had the right to unilaterally renew deGrom’s contract from March 2-11.
DeGrom has 1 year, 139 days of service time and could be eligible for salary arbitration next winter if he is among the top 22 per cent by service time for players with more than 2 years but less than 3. The cutoff was 130 days this year and 133 in 2015.
""With respect to players 0-3, we have — as is the case with most if not all of the clubs — have a fairly straight-forward approach to determining salaries," Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said. "Yes, it is based on a formula predicated on performance. We’re really talking about marginal differences in salaries. This is first renewal we’ve had since I’ve been here, so the process has worked fairly well, and we respect Jacob’s right to take a renewal if what he feels and is best in his interest, and we’ll go from there."
DeGrom said he is open to discussing a long-term deal but the team has not yet approached him about one. Alderson said it was early in the spring calendar to start contract discussions, noting that agents typically don’t come in until later in camp.
"I don’t think this will affect that in any way," deGrom said. "We’re still open to discussions for long-term things, but nothing is in the works now and I don’t think this will have any effect on that."
DeGrom was 14-8 with a 2.54 ERA and 205 strikeouts in 191 innings last year, his first full season in the majors, and was 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA in four post-season starts.
"We respect the Mets’ right to determine a pre-arbitration player’s salary and their effort to be consistent with their players," deGrom’s agent, Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA Baseball, said in a statement. "But given Jacob’s standing as one of the top pitchers in Major League Baseball and his 2015 performance, his worth cannot be properly valued by a formula. Like the Mets, he is simply exercising his rights under the CBA. This will not affect Jacob’s relationship with the Mets. Both parties are focused on preparing for the season and getting the Mets back to the World Series."
Notes: Noah Syndergaard agreed to a deal paying $535,375 in the majors and $252,542 in the minors. Steven Matz’s contract calls for $515,750 in the majors and $187,506 in the minors.
