Mets believe Jacob deGrom will opt out after 2022 season regardless of health?

It was back in March when New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom told reporters he plans to opt out of his current deal following the 2022 MLB season even though he's currently set to earn a guaranteed $30.5 million for 2023. However, those words came before deGrom was shut down at the end of spring training because of a stress reaction in the scapula of his pitching shoulder that could keep him sidelined through at least the middle of June and that will seemingly force him to alter his mechanics whenever he resumes throwing. 

The two-time National League Cy Young Award winner still hasn't faced an MLB batter in a regular-season game since July 7 after he missed the entire second half of the 2021 campaign due to lingering elbow troubles. Even though there is no timetable for deGrom's return to the rotation, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday that "some Mets insiders say they believe Jacob deGrom isn’t bluffing" about opting out. 

Additionally, Heyman notes that those same insiders "believe that’s the case" regardless of deGrom's health status. 

Of course, this is only speculation with deGrom serving as a spectator as the Mets sit atop the NL East standings at 14-6. A healthy deGrom showed last spring and early summer he can still be the best overall starter in MLB, but he's currently on track to go around 11 months without taking the bump.