We are nearing the beginning of the free agent marketplace. Players who are free agents are allowed to sign with new teams beginning five days after the World Series is over. That would be no later than November 9th according to the current baseball calendar.
Much has been written about some of the stars that will become available in free agency this year, particularly those big names that will command big salaries. While the Mets under Steve Cohen have not shied away from big contracts recently, they are in a different position this year with many prospects moving up through their minor league system.
They will need to bolster a few positions, but reinforcements are on the way so there is not an urgency to find those 8-10 year, nine digit contracts. Instead, some well-placed short term contracts would do.
With that in mind, I have thought about the Mets’ needs and come up with my top five targets.
1) Starting pitching is clearly the biggest need, and the most impactful choice is Yoshinobu Yamamoto. This 25 year old right handed starting pitcher who currently plays for the Orix Buffaloes in Japan is coveted by many teams in MLB. He has compiled a 1.72 ERA in seven seasons in Japan with a 0.915 WHIP to go with it. After the success the Mets have had with Kodai Senga, there is solid reasoning behind bringing in another Japanese starting pitcher to the Mets’ rotation.
Yamamoto is young, so he presumably has many innings left in that strong right arm. Senga seems happy and popular in New York, which should attract Yamamoto to the Mets.
2) Relief pitching failed often in 2023, and it is critical to lock down a lead heading into the later innings. Two relievers are at the top of my list. Jose LeClerc of the Texas Rangers is just short of his 30th birthday, and had a fine season this year, compiling a 2.68 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP in 57 innings. For his career, he has a 3.03 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 293 innings. He has delivered pretty consistent numbers over seven MLB seasons, so he is not a one-shot wonder coming off a career year.
3) David Robertson pitched very well for the Mets as a set-up man to Edwin Diaz in 2022 and also performed admirably in the closer role when Diaz went down with a knee injury in 2023. He was traded to Miami in the mid-season purge where he struggled at first, but then settled back in to the type of performance he delivered for the Mets in the last two seasons.
He has proven the ability to play in the big city environment, having pitched for both the Mets and the Yankees during his fifteen year career. He is 38 years old, so this will need to be a short term contract to bridge to a prospect like Bryce Montes de Oca or Paul Gervase in the 2025 season.
4) Carlos Santana would make a great DH for the Mets. He has been a power bat, compiling.970 OPS over 14 seasons as a first baseman. At age 37, he may not be a viable full-time defensive player but he doesn’t need to with Pete Alonso on the team. Santana can still wield a bat with a .240 average, 23 home runs, and 86 RBIs with two teams this season. If the Mets can get Santana on a 1 or 2 year deal, that would take the pressure off Mark Vientos to be a full time productive DH or bust. He could develop further over a season or he could be included in a trade deal if the Mets did not feel he warrants the job.
5) Back to the starting pitchers, Lucas Giolito is an attractive target for a SP4/SP5. He is still short of his 30th birthday, is coming off a $10.4M one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox, then LA Angels, then Cleveland Guardians. Giolito has been an effective and durable major league starter for most of his career, and would not break the bank to add more depth in the starting rotation with guys like Joey Lucchesi, David Peterson, and Tylor Megill all close but not standing out. Giolito can be expected to produce a sub-4.00 ERA and a 3:1 K/BB ratio if he delivers similar performance to his career numbers.
Honorable mention goes to several players that were not in my top five list. Everyone covets Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and Josh Hader, but they are much too expensive for a team that needs to build for sustainability. Aaron Nola will be available, but he will also command an enormous salary coming off some great seasons with the Phillies – and with big salaries come big risk as we have seen with the likes of deGrom, Verlander, and Scherzer in the last few years.
The same logic applies to Blake Snell. Marcus Stroman will be available, but he doesn’t strike me as very enthusiastic about returning to New York. Speaking of enthusiasm, would Seth Lugo come back to the Mets’ bullpen?
Don’t even mention honors go to Trevor Bauer and Julio Urias. Both don’t have the moral character to fit in our clubhouse.
That’s my opinion. It probably doesn’t get me in line for the GM job that is open, but it should at least earn a few comments from our readers.
14 comments:
I like your thinking Paul overall, but I would rather have JD Martinez over Carlos Santana
Conforto?
Surprised I have not seen pushback on my pass for Soto yet. He fits the youth model for building the team but would command so much salary it would price us out of the market for Pete and starting pitching.
This would make Giolito's father very happy
Big Mets fan and Mack's Mets reader
Personally, I think the DH position should be utilized as a position to give a player a half day off. With the flexibility of O'Neill, there are additional opportunities to rest. I would not get a fulltime DH. Plus with 2024 as a transition year, we need to see if Baty, Vientos and Mauricio are MLB players to keep. Also, it is possible that the likes of Gilbert, Acuna, and Williams will be pushing for a promotion after the all-star break.
One free agent I would target is a pitcher named Rodriquez. A Cuban pitcher that played in Japan. Young and very good.
I will give you a pushback on Soto. If we can make the right trade, get him now; then sign long-term
Whose Onneil.
Paul, good list
I was wondering that, too.
Soto is not a free agent. He will cost quite a bit in prospect value to acquire just one year before free agency. That needs to be weighed.
McNeil, probably. My phone does that too. Irritates the crap out of me.
It was McNeil and the phone. Sorry
Jeff is so flexible he can alter his name at any time and still hit .300.
Trade McNeil for a good starter,maybe the Marlins.
Soto turned down an enormous offer from the Washington for 15-years/$440M, that got him traded in the first place. IF anybody trades for him, as a rental for next season, they shouldn't be shocked when he goes free agent at the end of the year. He must think he's God's gift. I would be shocked if he signs an extension with ANYONE. If you really want him, you sign him as a free agent starting in 2025, but it's going to cost more than he's worth. Frankly, he never impressed me when I see him play.
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