Jacob deGrom gives Mets fans another gut-punch after playoff loss

It does not sound like Jacob deGrom will be opting back into his deal with the New York Mets.

While the New York Mets had an amazing regular season, Jacob deGrom and the boys came up painfully short in October.

On the precipice of losing the NL East to the rival Atlanta Braves down the stretch, New York lost its NL Wild Card Series at home to the visiting San Diego Padres in Game 3 on Sunday night. 101 regular-season wins and one more in the postseason have the Mets watching October baseball at home on the couch like the rest of us. To make things even worse, deGrom might be leaving them.

Here is what the Mets starting pitcher said to the media after the Game 3 loss about his contract.

DeGrom has a player opt-out in his Mets contract after this season. He will 35-years-old in 2023.

Jacob deGrom quiet about his chances of returning to the New York Mets in 2023

In his ninth big-league season, deGrom went 5-4 as a starter with a 3.08 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 11 games. While he was dominant initially coming off the IL, deGrom was not always that down the stretch for the Mets. Although he got the win in Game 2 vs. San Diego, he lost his final two starts of the regular season at the Oakland Athletics and at Atlanta when the Mets needed him.

While it is understandable for deGrom to want to opt out of his contract and see what the market has for him, he might also want a change of scenery. Although this past season was one of the better ones in Queens, it has not always been easy being a Mets starting pitcher. He may have been one of the best pitchers of his generation, but he has only won 82 games in nine seasons.

What makes this the most concerning is the team deGrom is most closely tied to if he were to walk in free agency: The Braves. DeGrom grew up in the shadow of Braves Country near Daytona Beach. He played his college baseball at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, home of Braves legend Chipper Jones. Atlanta may be the favorite to sign him, but they just paid Spencer Strider.

Mets owner Steve Cohen may be able to pay him more, but deGrom might be done with New York.