Two of the best starters in baseball, Chris Sale and Justin Verlander, have signed contract extensions over the past week. Don't expect New York Mets ace and reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom to join them in New Contractville before Opening Day.
On Saturday, deGrom acknowledged that the odds of him agreeing to terms ahead of Thursday's opener (a deadline he set earlier in the offseason) have worsened. Rather, it seems likely he'll enter his penultimate season of team control without a long-term deal in place:
Jacob deGrom says he's "probably not as" optimistic as he once was that he and the Mets will complete a contract extension before Opening Day.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) March 23, 2019
Count Noah Syndergaard among those disappointed with the news. Syndergaard made his thoughts known on Sunday, capturing the zeitgeist by saying, well … pay the man, already:
“I think they should pay the man already,” Noah Syndergaard says regarding Jacob deGrom’s contract extension. “I don’t get it,” he added.
— Deesha Thosar (@DeeshaThosar) March 24, 2019
Syndergaard was in a talkative mood about other Mets matters, too. He voiced his displeasure with the Mets' spring-ending travel plans, which will see them take an hours-long bus ride to Sarasota before jetting to Syracuse for a workout at the Carrier Dome -- the latter being part of the club's new Triple-A affiliate partnership with Onondaga County.
Having the Mets work out in Syracuse is a nice touch on a business deal, but it appears to be weighing on the clubhouse -- particularly in light of the organization stressing the importance of getting rest. Yet, per Syndergaard, the players pushing back on the trip yielded no change.
Take a look at what Syndergaard said, per the Athletic's Tim Britton, including him saying the Mets' upcoming travel plans aren't what "championship teams" do ahead of the season:
Syndergaard blasts the Mets' trip to Syracuse for a workout this week: "I don't think that's what championship teams do."
Full comments: pic.twitter.com/TyC8J5JFBj
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) March 24, 2019
Syndergaard has a point. The Mets want their players to be as rested as possible, but they're adding unnecessary mileage to their plates ahead of the regular season (which opens Thursday against the Nationals in D.C.). That seems counterproductive at best, and harmful at worst-- if not on a physical level, then at least on a mental level.
Maybe the extra travel won't make any difference. But between that story and the deGrom news, the Mets are chipping away at the goodwill built from an active winter that left them with a fresh roster and renewed playoff hopes.
