The Mets had a preliminary meeting with the representatives for Jacob deGrom on Tuesday at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, per SNY's Andy Martino.

Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen later told SNY's Steve Gelbs that the meeting with deGrom's reps on Tuesday was preliminary and that he views deGrom as a big part of the Mets "now and in the future."

Mets COO Jeff Wilpon, who arrived in Las Vegas on Monday, said last week that the Mets would be offering deGrom a long-term extension -- the first definitive comments anyone with the Mets has made about the plan for deGrom's future with the team.

"We'd like to see him stay here long-term," Wilpon said during an appearance with Mike Francesa on WFAN. "I'm sure there will be an offer. How long-term that is, that's up to us to figure out."

Echoing Wilpon's comments, GM Brodie Van Wagenen -- also on with Francesa -- said "our goal will be to try to extend that relationship."

Since deGrom was Van Wagenen's client before the latter became Mets GM, Van Wagenen will recuse himself from all official negotiations with deGrom due to a conflict of interest.

SNY's Andy Martino reported in November that signs pointed toward a long-term future with deGrom, who is under contract through the 2020 season.

DeGrom said during the All-Star break this past season that he "loved" playing for the Mets and was open to signing a long-term extension. And he reiterated those feelings earlier this offseason.

The 30-year-old deGrom -- who won his first Cy Young award in November -- is entering his second-to-last season of arbitration, where he is expected to earn $12.9 million, up from the $7.4 million he made in 2018.

While some might view the six-year, $140 million deal Patrick Corbin just signed as a potential benchmark for deGrom to surpass, any potential extension between the Mets and deGrom would be a different kind of animal.

Any extension at this point would have them buying out two years of arbitration while also giving deGrom the security of a long-term deal two years before it would otherwise happen. So, something in the five-year, $100 million range would be a fair offer.

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