Rangers reportedly will 'pony up' for Jacob deGrom, who is 'happy' with Mets

It appears at least one American League team is preparing to court New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom this offseason. 

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Friday that "a rival predicts" that the Texas Rangers are going to "pony up" to land deGrom's services. 

The 34-year-old made it known in March he intends to opt out of his contract after the World Series and hasn't since given any indication he's changed his mind on the topic. Interestingly, Heyman's story was followed by a piece from Mike Puma of the New York Post that features comments offered by current Philadelphia Phillies starter Zack Wheeler, who once shared the Mets rotation with deGrom. 

"He told me he is happy there," Wheeler said about deGrom's relationship with the Mets. "I just think he wants to get compensated for what he’s done." 

It was reported late in the summer that deGrom could and likely wants to outdo the three-year, $130 million deal Max Scherzer signed with the Mets last fall.

"I don’t think it was the right compensation at the time," Wheeler added about deGrom's current contract that would pay him $30.5 million next season if he surprises the baseball community by not opting out. "I can’t speak for him, it’s a lot of money and it’s life-changing money and I think anybody would have taken that at the time. But at the same time, people have seen what he’s done and maybe you can correct it along the way, and this is his chance to correct it." 

After the Mets were eliminated from the playoffs at the hands of the San Diego Padres earlier this month, general manager Billy Eppler said he and deGrom "had a good amount of dialogue" during a conversation and that the two-time National League Cy Young Award winner "knows how we feel." 

It's believed the Atlanta Braves, New York's hated division rivals, are also interested in pursuing deGrom.