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Everybody can breathe a deep sigh of relief this morning: The New York Mets and Jacob deGrom have agreed on a five-year contract extension worth $137.5 million, according to Andy Martino.
The extension, which is pending a physical, will cover 2019 through 2023 and includes an opt-out in 2022, an option for the 2024 season, and a full no-trade clause, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Rosenthal added that, like Sale’s deal, this contract will include deferrals.
The 30-year-old deGrom will receive a $10 million signing bonus and a salary of $7 million this season. From there, he will make $23 million in 2020, $33.5 million in 2021 and 2022, $30.5 million in 2023, and $32.5 million in the option year. In total, the right-hander could earn up to $170 million if his option for 2024 is picked up.
The news puts an end to a long saga that has dragged on throughout the offseason, and can be traced back to the 2018 All Star break when Brodie Van Wagenen — deGrom’s agent at the time — essentially challenged the team to either extend his client or trade him. Since becoming the Mets’ general manager, Van Wagenen has engaged in talks with the team’s ace, with both sides setting an Opening Day deadline to get a contract extension finalized.
At times, it appeared like a deal would never get done. Over the past two weeks, a number of superstars around the league — including Mike Trout, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, and Chris Sale, to name a few — have been signed to contract extensions with their teams, which only put more pressure on the Mets to finish off a deal with deGrom.
The final result is a big win for all parties involved. deGrom will get his rightful reward after putting together an historic and dominant 2018 season — 1.70 ERA, 1.99 FIP, 0.91 WHIP, 269 strikeouts — that culminated in a National League Cy Young Award. The Mets can now hold on to their rotational cornerstone for five more seasons and can look to build a contending team around one of the best starting pitchers in the game.