Mets to have company in talks with deGrom, Nimmo

NEW YORK -- Unlike closer Edwin Díaz, who accepted a multi-year offer from the Mets before having an opportunity to talk to other teams, Jacob deGrom and Brandon Nimmo plan to speak with front offices around baseball when MLB’s free agency period officially begins on Thursday.

That does not necessarily mean they intend to leave New York.

• Free-agent profiles: deGrom | Bassitt | Nimmo

Since deGrom opted out of his contract and Nimmo likewise became a free agent this week, Mets general manager Billy Eppler has kept both players in his potential plans. Speaking at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas, Eppler described his recent interactions with deGrom as “friendly, cordial, professional.” He went as far as to relay his take on what the two-time Cy Young Award winner is thinking.

“I think there’s a good deal of interest there on his part,” Eppler said. “That was articulated a number of times through the season and reiterated in our most recent conversation.”

On the night the Mets lost their Wild Card Series to the Padres in early October, before deGrom left Citi Field to fly home for the offseason, Eppler chatted face to face with him about his future. It was clear then that deGrom would opt out of the final guaranteed season and $32.5 million of his contract to seek a multi-year deal in free agency. What wasn’t clear -- and still isn’t -- was how realistic a reunion might be.

A new contract could take weeks or even months to negotiate as deGrom scans the market for other potential suitors. In the interim, Eppler will remain in touch with deGrom’s agents as he works to build out a pitching staff. In addition to deGrom, Chris Bassitt and Taijuan Walker declined the 2023 options on their contracts this week; the Mets also haven’t committed to exercising the player option on Carlos Carrasco’s deal, according to Eppler.

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Right now, New York’s rotation consists of Max Scherzer, David Peterson and Tylor Megill, leaving plenty of room for deGrom and others. Asked specifically to gauge the chance of a reunion, Eppler replied that “it’s hard to handicap things like that,” before adding that deGrom’s interest “was articulated a number of times through the season and reiterated in our most recent conversation.”

Negotiating with deGrom may be a difficult dance for Eppler, given the Mets’ significant pitching needs. The team cannot simply reserve a spot for deGrom, knowing there’s a chance he may head elsewhere. (The GM of the Rangers, Chris Young, confirmed on Tuesday that he intends to take a long look at the top of the starting pitching market; other potential suitors could emerge in Atlanta, Los Angeles and beyond.) But the Mets also won’t want to commit to lesser pitchers if there’s a chance that deGrom, one of the most important players in franchise history, will return.

To that end, Eppler intends to remain “transparent” with deGrom and his agents.

“We talked about being with each other every step of the way through this,” the GM said.

The same will be true regarding the team’s negotiations with Nimmo, another fan favorite with few peers on the free-agent market. While Eppler has not yet spoken to Nimmo’s camp, that conversation is inevitable. So is the fact that Nimmo will want to canvass the market before committing to the Mets (or anyone else).

“Brandon, just like Jake, knows how we feel about him,” Eppler said. “He’s reached a point in his contract where he’s afforded the opportunity to look around, but I think there’s going to be strong communication there, as well.”