Insider offers hints for contract Mets' Jacob deGrom may earn as free agent

New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom has made only six MLB appearances this season, all of which occurred in August, but some already can't stop thinking about his future beyond what could ultimately become a World Series run. 

The two-time National League Cy Young Award winner confirmed in March he plans to opt-out of his current contract following the campaign, and it was later reported the Mets believe deGrom will do just that regardless of his health. That was after the 34-year-old missed the second half of last season because of lingering elbow troubles but before he was sidelined through the end of July due to a stress reaction in the scapula of his pitching shoulder. 

A healthy deGrom has thus far been brilliant this summer and posted a 4-1 record with a 1.98 ERA and 0.55 WHIP. For a piece published early Thursday morning, Jon Heyman of the New York Post received responses from nine "baseball people" about what type of deal deGrom may land when he hits the open market. 

Some understandably compared that upcoming contract to the three-year, $130 million agreement fellow ace Max Scherzer signed with the Mets last fall. 

"$33-42M per year for two-to-three years," one person told Heyman. Another said deGrom will get "$35-45M" over that same time period. 

Somebody responded that deGrom will earn "Scherzer money but maybe only two guaranteed years," likely due to his injury history. Other answers included "four times 42 plus vesting option to go to 210," "three for 145," and "one billion dollars." 

Per The Post's Zach Braziller, Mets owner Steve Cohen suggested this past weekend he's willing to back the figurative truck up to pay deGrom before the year comes to an end. 

"We love Jacob, and I think he’s the best pitcher in baseball," Cohen remarked on Saturday. "We’ll do whatever we can to make sure he stays. But it’s his decision, not ours."