Jacob deGrom will opt-out of his Mets contract after the 2022 season

PORT ST. LUCIE — Jacob deGrom will become a free agent after the 2022 season.

The Mets ace said he will exercise his opt-out once he completes his ninth year in the big leagues.

DeGrom signed a team-friendly five-year, $137.5 million contract in 2019 that included an opt-out after the 2022 season. And after much speculation, the two-time Cy Young winner announced on Monday at spring training that he will indeed trigger that opt-out, and he will wait until after the season to discuss a new contract with owner Steve Cohen and the Mets.

“I won’t take any more on this, but that’s the business side of baseball,” deGrom said in a press conference. “But for me, I don’t want that to be any distraction. I’m excited about this team, love being a Met, I think it would be really cool to be one my entire career. But the plan is to exercise that option and be in constant contact in the offseason with the Mets and Steve Cohen and the front office.”