What more is in store for the Mets this offseason?
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This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo’s Mets Beat newsletter, written this week by Joe Trezza. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
The flip of the calendar represents the start of a new phase of the offseason for the Mets, who figure to be busy in the weeks to come as they pivot from their pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto to upgrade their roster in other ways. That period began in earnest this week with the signing of New York native Harrison Bader, adding to an offseason during which the Mets have hired a new manager and made several signings but are far from done.
With that as a backdrop, let’s take a look at what’s transpired and what remains outstanding in this reset of the Mets offseason to date.
What deals have the Mets already made?
• Bader to a one-year, $10.5 million contract
• Right-hander Luis Severino to a one-year, $13 million contract
• Right-hander Jorge López to a one-year, $2 million contract
• Infielder Joey Wendle to a one-year, $2 million contract
• Right-hander Michael Tonkin to a one-year, $1 million contract
• Right-hander Austin Adams to one-year split contract
The Mets also fortified their pitching depth with two moves before Christmas, swinging a trade with Milwaukee for righty Adrian Houser and outfielder Tyrone Taylor, and acquiring right-hander Yohan Ramirez from the White Sox.
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What are the Mets' biggest remaining needs, and whom might they target to fill those holes?
After missing out on Yamamoto, the Mets’ biggest need remains the rotation, which currently consists of Severino, Houser, Kodai Senga, José Quintana and probably Tylor Megill. The Mets could pivot to Japanese lefty Shōta Imanaga, but appear unwilling to commit the nine-figure deals that Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery seem poised to command. The next tier of free agent pitchers includes Mike Clevinger, Sean Manaea and Hyun Jin Ryu. Lucas Giolito may have been an option as well, but he recently came off the board after signing a two-year deal with Boston.
Bader’s deal means the Mets are probably done shopping in the outfield. Still, they figure to bring in further help in the bullpen and at third base after Ronny Mauricio’s injury, which could mean a potential reunion with Justin Turner.
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Which of New York’s free agents have already signed elsewhere?
Because the Mets traded nearly all their impending free agents in July and August, they lost fewer players to free agency than originally expected. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco was the only player on the 40-man roster who automatically became a free agent once the World Series ended, and after his poor final season in Flushing, a reunion with the 36-year-old feels unlikely.
New York’s list of departing players grew when Adam Ottavino declined his 2024 player option, and the club parted ways with Daniel Vogelbach, Luis Guillorme, Sam Coonrod, Trevor Gott, Jeff Brigham and Elieser Hernández at the non-tender deadline. Ottavino could theoretically return should the Mets approach the New York native with a longer and more lucrative deal.
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Who are their remaining trade candidates?
The likeliest feels like Omar Narváez, given the emergence of Francisco Alvarez as the team’s everyday catcher. Narváez is set to earn $7 million next season after exercising his player option, which would make him the league’s most expensive backup catcher -- if the Mets weren’t also paying James McCann $8 million to back up Adley Rutschman in Baltimore. That the Mets are also paying $2.1 million to have Tomás Nido catch at Triple-A makes a Narváez deal even likelier, though New York would probably need to eat a significant portion of his salary to execute one.
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What outstanding arbitration cases are on the docket?
The headliner here is Pete Alonso, who is due for a raise on the $14.5 million he made in 2023 in his final year of arbitration -- if the Mets don’t lock Alonso up to a lucrative multiyear extension. New York must also negotiate new deals for ‘24 with eight other arb-eligible players: Houser, Taylor, Drew Smith, Joey Lucchesi, David Peterson, DJ Stewart, Phil Bickford and Sean Reid-Foley.