By WFAN.com
The position players have yet to officially report to spring training, but the drama in Port St. Lucie is already at full throttle.
A report came out early Tuesday saying Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom has set Opening Day as the deadline to negotiate a contract extension with the Mets, something GM Brodie Van Wagenen would say later in the day was a "mutual understanding."
DeGrom is fresh off a historic season in which he led the majors with a 1.70 ERA and ended with him taking home the NL Cy Young Award. He had 269 strikeouts, although poor run support led to an unspectacular 10-9 record.
MORE: Report: Mets' DeGrom Sets Deadline For Contract Extension
Despite the incredible performance last season, WFAN's Mike Francesa believes the Mets should be no in rush to hand the ace a lucrative extension.
"He's coming off a year that probably he will never have again," Francesa said during Tuesday's open of Mike's On. "A year that most pitchers never have in their career. And he wants to negotiate off that year. If he's smart, his agent should want him to negotiate off of last year. DeGrom should want to negotiate off of last year.
"The last thing the Mets want to do is negotiate off of last year. The idea of it being an Opening Day deadline, where after that (there are) no negotiations, that helps the Mets. That doesn't help deGrom. If I'm the Mets, I just want to get to Opening Day and then say, 'Go ahead, pitch. I want you to pitch, then let's negotiate.'"
The 30-year-old has had an incredibly successful tenure in Queens thus far.
In his five seasons with the Mets, deGrom is 55-41 with a 2.67 ERA. He's a two-time All-Star selection and was the 2014 Rookie of the Year. He was also a member of the Mets' 2015 World Series team.
MORE: Citak: 5 Biggest Questions Facing Mets Entering Spring Training
While the rest of New York's rotation has dealt with injury concerns over the last few years, deGrom has remained relatively healthy. The ace has made at least 24 starts in his four full seasons with the team, including three campaigns of 30+ starts.
"The bottom line is, clearly, it's about negotiating when you have leverage," said Francesa. "Right now the leverage is all in deGrom's camp. 100 percent. The Mets don't have anything to stand on. He's coming off an incredible year. His last pitching performance for the season was tremendous...
"I'm sure the Mets are making reasonable offers now. I'm sure he's asking for outrageous money right now. I would do the same thing if I were deGrom. This is his last big contract. This is the last time he's going to get something with five years on it or something like that. He's going to be 31-years-old. So this is it for him."
To listen to Mike's entire open on Jacob deGrom's contract situation with the Mets, click on the audio player above.
