Jacob deGrom/CAA and the Future of the New York Mets

The New York Mets have an opportunity to make Jacob deGrom the face of their franchise. Brodie Van Wagenen should soon look to extend the Mets’ ace.

The New York Mets have seen their star starting pitcher, Jacob deGrom, make multiple headlines over the last few weeks. Most notably, Jacob deGrom was recently awarded the National League Cy Young Award. The dominant righty becomes the fourth Mets’ pitcher to win the award.

On Thursday, the Mets’ ace announced the end to his agent search. deGrom had been searching for new representation ever since his old agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, was hired to be the Mets’ General Manager. Going forward, Jacob deGrom will remain with the CAA agency, where Jeff Berry will become his new agent.

According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, “Jacob deGrom valued the stability of staying with the only agency he’s ever known, especially now as he pursues a potential long-term contract.”

Dating back to July, deGrom has been very vocal about wanting to stay in New York for the long term. Now that he has made a decision on a new agent, it is reasonable to assume that there should soon be progress towards a long-term deal.

The Mets traded their last Cy Young Award winner, (R.A. Dickey in 2012), but this will not be the future for the Mets’ current award winner. In a logical world, deGrom’s decision to stay with CAA signals the first step towards making a deal a reality.

Jeff Berry is a co-head of the CAA agency, a role that Van Wagenen also held prior to his departure. Because of their past relationship, it is reasonable to assume that the two sides get along well. Even though Van Wagenen will likely have to recuse himself from a majority of their dealings, this relationship might prove to be critical to a possible extension as the sides will be negotiating with money from a wallet that is not typically open for business.

Both sides have expressed interest, it’s time to get a deal done.

The New York Mets have always walked the line of being a small market team playing in one of the country’s biggest markets. Brodie Van Wagenen wants to change the culture within the New York Mets, a long-term deal with Jacob deGrom will signal that his regime is committed to winning, a commitment that has often been in question in prior seasons.

Via MLBTradeRumors, Van Wagenen has been touting this attitude, “We will win now, we will win in the future. We’re going to develop a winning culture and a winning mindset. We are going to deliver this city and this fan base a team they can be proud of,” and it is now time for his actions to back up his words.

Making Jacob deGrom the face of the franchise will be the correct first step in helping the New York Mets reach their potential. Their current roster has the makings of a contender, they are arguably only a step or two away from competing for the NL East title.

For a team that does not have many commitments past 2020, this is a risk that the Mets can and need to take. Without risk, there is no reward.