Jacob deGrom said Thursday that he won't call himself frustrated, but the Mets' ace seems perturbed at the lack of movement when it comes to a potential contract extension. And he isn't ruling out placing innings restrictions on himself this season if a deal isn't struck.
"The line of communication is still open," deGrom said Thursday in Port St. Lucie. "We have not received an offer. ... I really enjoy playing here and would like to be here, but that's kind of up to them."
The "kind of up to them" line from deGrom was a telling one, as he reiterated multiple times what he also said multiple times last season: He wants to be here, but the Mets have not yet made an official offer to keep him in New York beyond 2020.
Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen has said repeatedly this offseason that he wants to keep deGrom long-term, which has seemingly made the lack of progress a bit puzzling to deGrom.
"I would like to be part of this team's future," deGrom said. "Would like the feeling to be mutual, but that's just something we are gonna have to see."
And if the Mets don't strike a deal with deGrom, he isn't ruling out placing innings restrictions on himself this season -- something SNY's Andy Martino reported last week could be in play.
"I think that's gonna be a discussion that's gonna have to be had with my agents," deGrom said about limiting his workload if he doesn't have the security of a long-term deal. "I'm gonna have to sit down with them."
Speaking after deGrom, Van Wagenen reiterated what he's been saying all offseason about wanting to keep deGrom long-term.
"Yes, Jacob is 100 percent a part of our future now and hopefully for years to come," Van Wagenen said.
Video: deGrom, Van Wagenen and the latest on an extension
Van Wagenen was expansive while discussing the deGrom situation, and gave a forthcoming response when asked how much of a priority it is to get a deal done with deGrom before the March 28 deadline the deGrom camp has set.
"I think it's important to make sure that we have clarity of his situation going forward," Van Wagenen said. "I don't view this as all or nothing. I view this as a continuing part of our relationship with the player. ... As we look forward, we want to make sure that we have the eye on the prize in the near-term and the long-term, and don't get tunnel vision thinking that there is more negative impact or more drama than there necessarily is."
DeGrom wouldn't rule out the possibility of exploring a long-term deal with the Mets at some point in the future if the March 28 deadline he set passes, and said he "has no clue" if a deal will get done by then.
Throughout his talk with reporters, deGrom noted over and over that he wants to stay with the Mets. And while his disappointment didn't overtake him as he gave wry smiles and bobbed and weaved through some of the tougher questions, he kept coming back to the same point:
"As a player, you would like to be thought of as a future part of the organization."