5 worst free agent destinations for Jacob deGrom if he leaves

1) Mets fans don’t want Jacob deGrom signing with the Braves

Months ago, it was loosely reported that the Atlanta Braves were an early favorite to sign deGrom in the offseason. This felt more like speculation the same way anyone can connect dots. Legitimate or not, those dots are easy to draw lines between.

The Braves do not have an incredibly massive payroll. They’ve been wise about locking up their young core players. With Vaughn Grissom’s development, they may even be able to let Dansby Swanson walk away in the offseason and not lose talent at shortstop.

The pitching staff, meanwhile, remains a young and talented one yet absent of a veteran ace like deGrom. Guys like Max Fried, Kyle Wright, and Mike Soroka have bright futures. What they don’t have is a pitcher as dangerous as deGrom which is probably why they remain a realistic destination.

It also helps Atlanta to have their proximity close to deGrom’s home state of Florida. It’s a slight advantage for him to be closer to home.

What will be most important for deGrom in free agency is to make up for some lost time and dollars. With a lifetime salary of $117 million with all of this year’s $35.5 million awarded to him, it’s quite lower than one might expect for a player of his abilities.

deGrom will be chasing dollars this offseason and likely only a small number of teams will be willing to pay him the $40-50 million per season he’ll seek.  The Mets will be right there in any contract battle for him. The Braves could be, too.