What needs do the Mets have in the MLB offseason?
Will the ‘other’ New York team manage to make the MLB free market bomb? Juan Soto could join the Mets, as well as more than one top pitcher in the coming months, ahead of the 2025 season.
After a very poor month of May in which the New York Mets They won only nine of 28 games, June 12 arrived, the day the team entered with a record of 28-37, and practically eliminated from the search for the postseason, despite the fact that there were more than three full months of games left.
Before the game against the Miami Marlins in Citi FieldGrimace, part of the McDonald’s mascot group, threw the first ball prior to the duel with those from South Florida. The team immediately began a streak of seven consecutive wins, and Grimace became the figure of the team, appearing on multiple occasions in the franchise’s imagination.
The team eventually reached the postseason, entering the National League Championship Serieswhere they were dispatched by the eventual champions Los Angeles Dodgersbut not before leaving an important lesson about the potential of the Mets, a team that had not gone this far in the playoffs since 2015, when they were in the World Series.
After the surprise season, the Mets will seek to compete for the National League and, evidently, their first championship since 1986, when they beat the Boston Red Sox in the series for which Bill Buckner’s mistake is still remembered. What must they do to achieve it?
Pete Alonso leaves, Juan Soto enters?
In six years, Pete Alonso He has undoubtedly shown himself to be the figure of these Mets, earning four selections to the All-Star Game and hitting 226 home runs as their main power bat. But Alonso declined a contract extension last year that would pay him $158 million, and the Mets have not been clear when asked if they are willing to give him much more to stay with the club.
Plus, there’s another player the Mets value over Alonso, the same one every team with a lot of money to spend has their eye on – Juan Soto. The Dominican has reported offers from the Dodgers, Red Sox and New York Yankeesin addition to the Mets. It is expected that he could receive between $500 and up to $700 million in contract, so it seems difficult for Soto and Alonso to play together.
The Mets, on the other hand, could be left without both players, since Alonso also has a large market with other franchises, including the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and even the Yankees themselves. For the good luck of those in Queens, there are several power bats that can take his place if Alonso says goodbye to the only franchise he has played for.
Christian Walker, of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Paul Goldschmidt, of the St. Louis Cardinals, Anthony Rizzo, of the Yankees and even Alex Bregman, of the Astros, appear as an option for the Mets if Alonso leaves first base vacant. If Soto does not arrive, there are Anthony Santander of the Baltimore Orioles, Teoscar Hernandez of the Dodgers and Jason Heyward, who was with the Dodgers and Astros in 2024.
Strengthen your starting rotation
Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana They are free agents – the first two rejected a one-year extension, so the Mets have 60 percent of their rotation unprotected at the moment. There are reasons to think Manaea could return, but for now the Mets have Kodai Senga and David Peterson under contract.
The Mets, like several other teams, will be following in the footsteps of Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old Japanese ace who comes to the Major Leagues after a very successful stint in his domestic league, and pitchers Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, who are two players who, in addition to Soto, are the crown jewels of free agency.
There are others on the list who would not earn as much as that trio, starting with Walker Buehler of the Dodgers, and Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Guardians, who is also recovering from major surgery and would only begin pitching in the second half of the next season.
Since players like Yusei Kikuchi, Blake Snell and Nick Martinez are off the market, the Mets could also consider a reunion with Justin Verlander, who despite being 42 years old has yet to show interest in hanging up his cleats as an active pitcher. There are also Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney as veterans who could enter the bottom of the rotation in 2025.
Hitting, hitting and more hitting
They have several internal free agents who may leave the club this winter – Alonso has already been talked about, but also the designated JD Martinez is out of contract, as are outfielders Harrison Bader and Jesse Winker. Bader appears to be a player the Mets want to keep, but that would leave a third of their lineup available for renewal.
Third baseman Mark Vientos will move to the outfield, likely taking Winker’s place, which also leaves his position open. There has already been talk that Alex Bregman, the best third baseman in this free agent class, could take his place, or move to first base if Alonso is not there.
The Mets could choose to sign Jurickson Profar, a versatile player who plays both outfield and infield, and who is coming off a spectacular year in San Diego. There’s also Tyler O’Neill, who hit 31 home runs for Boston last season. If Bregman does not reach third base, there is Ha-Seong Kim, another former San Diego player, who despite being shortstop as his main position, dominates all infield positions.
Finally, if Martínez leaves the designated hitter spot open, there is Joc Pederson, who was with the Diamondbacks in the 2024 season, and Andrew McCutchen, the veteran who returned with the Pittsburgh Pirates for a second stint in his last two professional seasons.
