SAN DIEGO -- The Mets came to the Winter Meetings needing to remake their roster, so it came as little surprise to the baseball world when they did precisely that. The first team to strike a significant deal at the Meetings, the Mets agreed to terms with Justin Verlander on a two-year contract shortly after touching down in San Diego. They only kept adding from there, netting José Quintana to supplement their rotation and Brooks Raley for the bullpen.

It was a significant haul for the Mets, and while those acquisitions were important, the team is not done. New York could still add in multiple areas, with a particular emphasis on the pitching staff. Oftentimes, conversations at the Winter Meetings lead to transactions in the days and weeks to follow, and the Mets figure to be no exception to that trend.

Deals done

• Justin Verlander signed a two-year, $86.7 million contract with a $35 million vesting option for 2025
• José Quintana agreed to a two-year, $26 million contract (deal is not yet official)
• The Mets acquired lefty reliever Brooks Raley from the Rays for pitching prospect Keyshawn Askew

Biggest remaining needs

1. Outfield
Even if the Mets don’t re-sign Brandon Nimmo, who has suitors across the league, they’ll need to figure out some way to replace him. That could mean inking a corner outfielder such as Michael Conforto or Andrew Benintendi and shifting Starling Marte to center. Or it could mean signing a lighter-hitting center fielder and trying to augment their offense in another way. Team officials have had conversations with Kevin Kiermeier, who is the most obvious target in the latter scenario.

2. Relief pitching
Already this offseason, the Mets have brought back Edwin Díaz on a $102 million contract and traded for Raley, among other less noteworthy moves. But there is still ample room for improvement here. Among the many possibilities include reunions with Adam Ottavino and/or Trevor May.

3. Starting pitching
Kodai Senga is the name to watch. The Mets have been aggressive in their pursuit of the Japanese free agent, and it’s possible a deal could come together in the near future. As things stand, New York has a full rotation with Max Scherzer, Verlander, Quintana, Carlos Carrasco and either David Peterson or Tylor Megill. But the team is aware of the risks associated with relying on such an old bunch, and Senga presents one excellent way to mitigate that.

Rule 5 Draft

The Mets gained a player and didn’t lose anyone in the Major League phase of this year’s Rule 5 Draft, selecting right-handed reliever Zach Greene from the Yankees. Greene, 26, struck out 96 batters over 68 1/3 innings for Triple-A Scranton last season, producing a 3.42 ERA. The Mets paid a $100,000 fee to acquire him, in the hopes that he can stick in their bullpen all season. If not, the Mets will be required to offer him back to his old organization.

• 2022 Rule 5 Draft results: Pick by pick

“He’s got a very interesting fastball,” general manager Billy Eppler said. “The way that it plays adds an element of perceived velocity to the hitter. So it’s not an exact ‘look at the radar gun and then judge the fastball that way.’ It’s more, ‘let the hitters tell you if it’s a good fastball or not.’ … He’s obviously got a real opportunity to make this team, otherwise we wouldn’t have selected him.”

Just as noteworthy was the fact that the Mets did not lose any players. But they did trade 2019 fourth-round Draft pick Jake Mangum to the Marlins as the player to be named in the Nov. 18 trade for pitchers Elieser Hernández and Jeff Brigham. The team waited until Mangum was not selected in the Rule 5 Draft to complete the deal.

GM’s bottom line

“It’s nice to get some things in the rearview mirror, but my family who’s here asked if I could get together tonight. They kind of sent ‘lol’ after they sent the text, because they know it’s not happening. So I’m going to go upstairs and stay working.” -- Eppler on Wednesday afternoon