Mets look to avoid elimination in Jacob deGrom's biggest, and possibly last, start in Flushing

DeGrom’s contract has two more years left, but it is a well-known fact that the 34-year-old plans to forego making $30.5 million in 2023 and exercise his right to opt out of his deal early. Despite his extensive injury history in recent seasons, the three-time Cy Young Award winner is expected to receive a great deal of interest from around MLB. The reigning NL East champions and 2021 World Series-winning Atlanta Braves are rumored to be one of those teams.

• Jacob DeGrom stats (2022): 5-3, 3.08 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 102 strikeouts, 8 walks

The Mets will have a tough decision to make in the winter. The going rate for a pitcher of his caliber was reset last winter when they gave Scherzer $43 million. DeGrom is guaranteed to want just as much, if not more, or a long-term deal that has plenty of risks as well. As absurd as the idea of deGrom playing anywhere else once was, it is extremely possible now because the idea of paying two well-aged pitchers close to $90 million next season is a scary proposition — even for Steve Cohen, the Mets boss, and the league’s wealthiest owner.

That truth adds a very different weight to Game 2, which already has a lot of pressure.

DeGrom is without a doubt one of the greatest pitchers of the last decade, if not the best we have seen in that time. However, over the last three seasons, the four-time All-Star and his legendary arm have let the team down often. Injuries have allowed him to make 15 or fewer starts in each of the last three years — half of what fans had become accustomed to over the first six years of his career.

Along with that, the team’s collapse over the last two weeks included back-to-back losses from their ace. As he gave up five runs to the lowly Oakland A's on Sept. 24, then three runs and three homers to the Braves last weekend. While deGrom doesn’t necessarily owe the Mets and fans anything, he still needs to make amends for his limited availability the last few years and for taking part in another late-season collapse for the franchise.

DeGrom needs to do it for himself, his Mets legacy and even to make sure he can land a record deal in the winter. It will be interesting to see what lasting memory the team legend leaves New York fans with at the end of his start.