Reese Kaplan -- An Early Look at Available 2026 Free Agents (Part 1)

Assuming that the 2025 season does not end how the Mets envisioned it would be then a reasonable person could expect major changes to be made when the offseason begins once the non-Mets World Series concludes. 

Obviously trades can be made on days other than the July 31st deadline (though that’s a concept with which the Mets may need to reacquaint themselves).  So instead let’s take a look at the top free agents expected to be available once the November 1st bidding frenzy officially begins.  How much Steve Cohen wants to do his latter day George Steinbrenner impression is still the great unknown.

Outfielders

• Cody Bellinger is a player quite familiar to Mets fans during the majority of his career with the Dodgers.  He has immense home run power and back in 2019 won the NL MVP Award when he hit 47 HRs, drove in 115 and batted .305.  While that season was a bit of an outlier based upon more typical performance, his 162 game average is 32 HRs, 97 RBIs and a .259 batting average while playing above average defense.  The left handed slugger is currently on an opt-out contract with the Yankees paying him $27.5 million for his age 29 season.  At age 30 with solid numbers he’s going to want a long term deal probably at $30 million plus per year.
• Trent Grisham is another Yankee hitting the auction block but his numbers are not enough to make bidding teams drool.  A career .218 lefty hitting center fielder, he’s show some decent home run power but not of the magnitude that you can excuse his all-or-nothing swing.  He’s earning $5 million at age 28 and will get a raise along with a deal but hopefully not with the Mets as his offense is inferior to soon-to-be former Mets Jose Siri and Cedric Mullins.
• Kyle Tucker is reputed to be one of the brightest lights in this free agent class as his Chicago Cubs tenure draws to a close.  He’s a multiple time All Star who combines all five tools to make himself just as valuable in the field as he does at the plate.  Most of his career has been spent in Houston and he’s developed an annual average season of a .273 average accompanied by 31 HRs and 103 RBIs to go along with two dozen stolen bases.  This lefty swinger is still just 28 years old and predictions are suggesting he will fall somewhere between Juan Soto and Vlad Guerrero, Jr.  That’s a very expensive neighborhood and it’s questionable that the Mets would want to cough up another potentially $600 million when their payroll is already placing them into penalty range.

Infielders

• Pete Alonso obviously is well known to the Mets and to the All Star fans, but his opt out is pretty much guaranteed to be exercised.  He will require a long term deal in the $30 million plus per year range and coincidentally is having his best ever season as he hits free agency.  A known commodity, many feel the club will pull out all stops to retain him while more metrics-oriented folks will point out that right handed sluggers deteriorate quickly in their 30s making it a more suspect investment.  A higher rater per year for a shorter term may be the approach the Mets offer.
• Bo Bichette is a multitool player that the Blue Jays are slated to lose at year’s end.  This season coming back from injury Bichette is leading the league in hits while also contributing 16 HRs and 79 RBIs while hitting .294.  He can play shortstop or third base and still is only 27 years old.  He earns just over $17.5 million per year.  Given his age and ability this right handed hitter might look a whole lot nicer alongside Francisco Lindor than Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio or Mark Vientos.
• Alex Bregman is another third base option with Gold Glove defensive skills to go along with a career .274 average accompanied by an average of 28 HRs and 97 RBIs per season.  He’s spent most of his career in Houston before an experiment at Fenway park.  Now at age 31 he’s going to seek a multiyear deal that will last longer than his current three year bind to the Red Sox at $36.6 million for this year or $41.6 million for each of the next two.  Personally I’d talk to him and wish him well but not extend a deal in that kind of price neighborhood.
• Paul Goldschmidt seems to be the kind of hitter in the mold of J.D. Martinez who had a terrific back of the baseball card career, but now at age 37 he’s down to 10 HRs and 40 RBIs for the Bronx Bombers.  Picking him up at age 38 would be a move to tide a team over for a year but not a huge move.  The Yankees are paying him $12.5 million in 2025 and his rate should be going down. 
• Josh Naylor may be a hidden gem among available infielders (though he has also been known to play the outfield).  The former mostly Cleveland Indian and current Seattle Mariner is a less conspicuous lefty hitter good for 23 HRs, 94 RBIs and a .267 average per season.  He currently earns under $11 million and at age 28 he’s hitting the auction block at a great time.  He will get more per year and for several years but it’s not like the stratosphere of some of the other contenders for free agent massive paydays.
• Eugenio Suarez could have written the book on what kind of season to have as you approach free agency.  In the past he’s been a formidable hitter and in 2019 with the Cincinnati Reds he clubbed 49 HRs, drove in 103 and hit .271.  This year he may exceed those numbers while finishing up the year in Seattle.  He’s currently earning just $15 million and will cash in, but he is also going to be playing next year at age 34 so the length of the deal and the rate might be tempered a bit.
• Gleyber Torres is a player familiar to Yankee fans as someone who can hit the ball but never really reached the elite level.  Still just 28 years old, he’s good for an average of about 25 HRs per season while hitting .265.  Detroit is paying him $15 million for his single year helping them contend for the pennant and he’s likely looking for a 6 year deal worth closer to $20 million per year.  As a shortstop the Mets have no need but as a second baseman he would not be a terrible choie.  The issues here are his suspect defense and the fact that the hometown team needs to create room for Jett Williams and others coming up the pipe. 

When this series continues we will finish up looking at catchers, designated hitters, starting pitchers and relief pitchers on Wednesday.