Mets and Jacob deGrom avoid arbitration, settle at $17 million

Jacob deGrom and the Mets have settled at a $17 million salary for the 2019 season, avoiding arbitration. This comes just hours after Mookie Betts settled for $20 million, setting a record for an increase in arbitration salary from one season to another. deGrom broke that short-lived record with his almost $10 million raise from $7.4 million last season.

Of course, after a Cy Young Award winning campaign in 2018, there was no doubt deGrom was going to get paid. The question of whether the Mets will be paying him long-term remains unsettled. Ever since deGrom’s former agent in Brodie Van Wagenen took the helm, there have been rumblings of a deGrom extension. Yesterday, Andy Martino reported that a deGrom extension is estimated at five years, $130-145 million, according to sources. Both sides have also indicated that they want to reach a long-term deal and that reportedly remains a priority.

deGrom’s $17 million arbitration salary is just over $4 million more than was predicted by MLB Trade Rumors, but it is possible that this hefty raise is just another indication that an extension may be coming down the pike.