Jacob deGrom has been the subject of Cy Young talk as he continues to dominate opposing hitters, but he is not focusing on that -- at least not while he's pitching.

"I am not thinking about it when I am out there," deGrom said in an interview with Joel Sherman of the New York Post. "That is just how I take the mound. The goal is not to give up any runs, so it is me against you. This is what I have, let me see if you can hit it. Here we go. That's how I take the mound. Honestly, it has not changed, even with the increased talk of Cy Young."

DeGrom has a 1.71 ERA/2.07 FIP and 0.971 WHIP in 174 innings this season, but is just 8-8 as he has not earned the run support he has needed to earn victories on a regular basis. He's no stranger to winless stretches, however. He noted that in 2014 he was unable to get a win in his first seven starts, but did not lose focus when he went on to struggle at times.

"I had a couple of starts that weren't so good, and I started thinking about it," he explained. "I learned from that to go out there and control what I can control. That means what am I about to throw and where am I about to throw it. I honestly think that was a big help for me."

DeGrom will continue to compete with Aaron Nola of the Phillies and Max Scherzer of the Nationals, who are also among contenders for the Cy Young award. There is still more than a month left of baseball to be played, and he understands it could go either way.

"I still have to go out seven times and throw to the best of my ability," he said. "A lot can happen in seven starts. I know how those other guys [Nola and Scherzer] are throwing. But my mindset doesn't change. I take the mound, I am trying to put us in position to win."

In the midst of a career season, DeGrom's name was floated as a possible trade target ahead of the trade deadline. The right-hander publicly expressed his desire for the Mets to trade him or sign a contract extenson, but moving forward, deGrom said he knows the Mets "have every right to ride me for the next two years [until his free agency] and say, 'See you later.' " Still, he made it clear that he wants to remain with the organization.

For now, deGrom will continue keeping his focus on the field.

"My job is to prepare for my next start and put us in position to win," deGrom said. "I don't complicate things. I am pretty good at blocking stuff out."

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