4 free agents who will be back next season and why

4) NY Mets free agent who will be back next season: Jacob deGrom

Jacob deGrom is in a very interesting situation. He has barely pitched, but has said numerous times that he is going to opt out. He's proven in the short time that he's been back that he's just as good as he was before being shut down in the middle of the 2021 season, and is still the best pitcher in baseball. It's time for him to be paid like it.

With his teammate Max Scherzer making upwards of $40 million dollars annually, it's not crazy to think that deGrom will ask for $50 million annually.

deGrom is not from the northeast and some speculate that he might want to pitch closer to home. I've seen teams like the Braves and Rangers mentioned. What the Mets have and those teams don't have is the money to make him the highest paid pitcher in baseball history.

Steve Cohen can and should do whatever it takes to keep deGrom in Flushing. He's been a Met his entire career and should retire as one. He's said despite opting out that he loves being a Met and has remained with the club before after being a free agent.

It might not make the most sense business wise to give a guy with such massive injury risk the money he is going to ask for, but it just has to happen. The Mets having deGrom and Scherzer in the same rotation is what makes them true World Series contenders. With him proving that he is still the best in the game, it's really a no-brainer if you ask me.