New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler didn’t wait long into the offseason to discuss the future with ace Jacob deGrom.
As noted by Danny Abriano of SNY, Eppler spoke with reporters on Friday and confirmed he “had a long one-on-one conversation” with deGrom last Sunday shortly after the Mets were eliminated from the playoffs via a home loss to the San Diego Padres.
“I wouldn’t go too far down the tracks on what I’d talk about there, but I did have some time one-on-one with Jake Sunday night late that might have even been Monday morning by then, technically,” Eppler explained during Friday’s media availability. “But, yeah, we talked one-on-one. He knows how we feel. I know how he feels. It was a good conversation.
“We had a good amount of dialogue, he and I, over the course of this season. And I think we have a sense of what makes maybe the other one tick. I think things are positive and the relationship is positive, and we’ll see where it ultimately goes. But he knows how we feel.”
Back in March, deGrom admitted he planned to opt out of his contract when the ongoing MLB campaign concludes. The two-time National League Cy Young Award winner hasn’t given any indication he’s changed his mind about that decision.
Multiple injury issues sidelined deGrom from July 2021 through the first day of August 2022. The 34-year-old posted a 1.66 ERA with 63 strikeouts across his first 43.1 innings of work this season before he appeared to hit a figurative wall ahead of the postseason. Most notably, deGrom surrendered three home runs in a costly loss at the division-rival Atlanta Braves on Sept. 30.
Those same Braves have been linked with deGrom since the summer. However, Mets owner Steve Cohen said in late August the club will “do whatever we can to make sure (deGrom) stays.” Cohen added at that time, though, that “it’s his decision, not ours.”
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