The Mets hard-throwing right-hander delivered some high heat in the
direction of the teams’ front office and ownership when he spoke candidly about
his unhappiness with Jacob deGrom’s contract situation and the Mets travel
schedule.
“Jake
is the best pitcher in baseball right now,” Syndergaard told reporters, Sunday.
“I think he deserves whatever amount he’s worth and I want to keep him happy so
when it becomes time to reach free agency, he stays on our side and pitches for
the Mets. I just think they should quit all this fuss and pay the man already.”
The
comments come a day after deGrom told reporters that he was “less than
optimistic” that a deal would be struck between his new agent and the Mets by a
deadline of Opening Day, March 28.
Should neither side strike a deal by then, deGrom said he would cut off
talks on a deal until after the season concludes.
Of
course the pressure to get a deal down got ratcheted up the past few days when
Chris Sale inked a five-year $145 million extension with the Boston Red Sox,
and Justin Verlander signed a two-year $66 million extension in Houston. Both
pitchers are over 30-years old.
Even
the typically cash strapped Tampa Bay Rays broke the bank for their Cy Young
winner Blake Snell, extending him to a five-year, $50 million deal.
“If there wasn’t a trend of other guys getting
contract extensions then I don’t know what the circumstance would be, but you
see Chris Sale, Verlander, those guys getting extensions, I think it’s time
Jacob gets one, too,” Syndergaard added.
Syndergaard
later ripped into the Mets travel schedule, which includes a 130-mile bus trip
from Port St. Lucie to Sarasota to scrimmage the Baltimore Orioles, before
flying north to Syracuse for a workout on Tuesday. The Mets open the season,
Thursday in Washington D.C.
“You
think we would go to New York to get, like adults, our things, our affairs in
order, but no, we have got to go to Syracuse first,” Syndergaard said. “I don’t
know whose idea that was, but it’s not a smart one. I don’t think that’s conducive
for winning ballgames with that much travel.”
Ouch.
Watch out for the chin music Fred and Jeff Wilpon.
Syndergaard’s
comments highlight what could be budding tension between the players and the
Mets front office.
Even the New York Post’s Kevin Kernan
reported a “sense
the team’s displeasure” regarding the long road trip to end spring training. Syndergaard
even told reporters that players have expressed their concerns to management
about the situation, but it went “unheard.”
One
has to wonder if Syndergaard’s comments are part of sume underlying frustration
that finally boiled over.
In
the last seven months Syndergaard has seen the front office hire the agent he
and deGrom once shared in Brodie VanWagenen as their club’s next General
Manager. Now the man once responsible for getting players the best deal
possible, is now responsible for the Mets baseball finances.
Syndergaard
then had to endure rampant speculation during the offseason that the Mets would
consider trading him if a deal was right.
On
top of that Syndergaard is thinking of his own contract future in blue and
orange. With deGrom’s contract extension up in the air, and Zach Wheeler a free
agent to be after the season, how the Mets handle the business side will serve
as precedent for Syndergaard’s eventual contract negotiation.
While
the Wilpon’s aren’t statistically as “cheap” as people think (they have a
payroll of $146 million), for fans who have questioned ownerships commitment to
excellence, they will look at Syndergaard’s comments as gospel.
With
Opening Day just a couple of days away, this controversy is the last thing the
Mets wanted going into a new season.
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