Jacob deGrom is a free agent.
The New York Mets pitching ace opted out of his contract and will hit the open market. DeGrom had a player option worth $30.5 million for the 2023 MLB season.
Fellow Mets right-hander Taijuan Walker also opted out of his contract to become a free agent. Chris Bassitt declined his 2023 option Sunday.
After going a year between starts due to injuries, deGrom recorded a 3.08 ERA in 11 starts during the 2022 season, striking out 102 in 64 ¹/₃ innings. The two-time Cy Young winner earned a victory in Game 2 of the Mets’ wild-card series against the Padres, giving up two runs in six innings while striking out eight. The Mets went on to lose the best-of-three series the next night.
Over his nine seasons with the Mets, deGrom has a 2.52 ERA and 1,607 strikeouts in 1,326 innings.
**Seven other players opted to become free agents on Monday, per the union: Xander Bogaerts of the Red Sox, Carlos Correa of the Twins, Nelson Cruz of the Nationals, Zach Davies of the Diamondbacks, Jurickson Profar of the Padres, Carlos Rodon of the Giants and Robert Suarez of the Padres.
