The trigger that sets off Jacob deGrom's full competitive fury, in the eyes of his pitching coach, Dave Eiland, seems to be the arrival of a runner at third base. As Eiland related last summer in the midst of deGrom's incredible season of zeros, the pitcher's face hardens whenever a runner somehow gets past Levels 1 and 2 of the deGrom challenge -- first and second base -- and then threatens home from 90 feet.
As deGrom's expression transforms, the difficulty for the hitter climbs significantly. Opponents hit .202 against deGrom last season when there were no runners on base; when there was a runner on third, they hit .077, with three hits and 21 strikeouts in 39 at-bats.
It's hard to imagine deGrom backing away from any confrontation, but this is where the discussion moved earlier this week, within the context of a larger labor conversation. DeGrom's representative, Jeff Berry, informed the Mets that any talks about a contract extension need to be resolved, one way or the other, by Opening Day. And because Berry is the author of a memo that drew a lot of industry attention after it was published on ESPN.com in December, there has been speculation deGrom might follow some of Berry's suggestions and protect himself, and his value.
DeGrom has not said or done anything to support this conjecture. But there seems to be more talk among agents and players that they should adopt what they view as the same bloodless perspective as a lot of front offices, who have focused on extracting as much value as possible out of the rules structure, and out of each dollar committed. In this way, teams have learned to systematically manipulate players' service time, to the advantage of the clubs, and in some cases tank a season -- and save money -- in order to improve draft position.
This winter, a lot of free agents are again frustrated by the lack of aggressive bids, as club executives focus on paying each player according to what they feel is market value. The days of the excited owner or team president jumping in to overpay for star power seem to be in the past, mostly. One official recently explained this perspective: "We try to determine a price we're willing to pay, and if it works, it works. If it doesn't, it's not that big of a deal. I think a lot of [teams] think that way. We don't get emotional."
In the memo dispersed to clients by Berry, the agent wrote, "These practices, despite undermining the integrity of the game and intent of the CBA, are considered 'smart business.' On the back end, teams cite analytics and aging curves when devaluing veteran players. Teams currently extract the premium of a player's career at relatively low costs while simultaneously depleting the player of much of his asset value before he's able to market his services to other potential employers."
A conversation among some agents and players is whether players should take the same approach and make smart decisions for the sake of their own value. One example raised by agents: If a reliever throws on a Monday, for example, and is sore on a Tuesday -- and his spin rate and performance are perhaps compromised -- maybe he should simply say he can't pitch. Or perhaps a starting pitcher worn down late in the season shouldn't try to push through, sometimes with the help of painkillers; rather, he should just sit out until he feels better, especially in the first years of his career, when his salary is limited by the rules of the collectively bargained system.
Some players and agents argue, in so many words: What's good for the goose is good for the gander. If the aim is to maximize return, why shouldn't the players do the same?
One agent cited a parallel that has developed in college football -- star players making a personal business decision to pull themselves out of bowl games rather than risk what they might get after being drafted. If the colleges are in it for the money, the agent asks, why shouldn't the players be in it for the money?
Some club executives argue there are players who already have done stuff like this in the past -- sitting down to save themselves for when the payoff will be greater.
In a perfect world, the focus on both sides would be entirely about doing what's necessary to win ballgames. That seems to be what happened with the Boston Red Sox in last year's championship run, with players from Nathan Eovaldi to David Price volunteering to go above and beyond.
But as spring training begins, that's not where the conversations seem to be trending.