The New York Mets have plenty of holes to fill this offseason.
This is by design. The Mets signed 10 players in free agency last offseason, with starting pitcher Sean Manaea the only one to receive more than one year as he has an option for 2025. This strategy made sense as the Mets intended the 2024 season to be a bridge year.
However, the flurry of one-year deals leaves several gaps in the rotation for next season. Manaea is expected to decline his option for 2025 to enter free agency in search of a long-term deal. Luis Severino and Jose Quintana are slated to hit the market. As such, the Mets projected rotation for next year includes Kodai Senga, Tylor Megill and David Peterson. Paul Blackburn could be a part of the mix but he underwent a spinal procedure and will be out of action for four to five months.
The Mets recognize these gaps. During his news conference on Wednesday, President of baseball operations David Stearns said that the team has a great deal of financial flexibility, meaning that “pretty much the entirety of the player universe” will be an option. He also said that the Mets intend on being aggressive this offseason, looking to build on their surprising run to the NLCS.
These free agents, as well as Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and James McCann coming off of their books, leave the Mets with a $141.75 million payroll heading into the offseason. Per Spotrac.com, over $176 million is available if the Mets spend to 2024 levels.Â
While the Mets will need to figure out whether or not to bring Pete Alonso back, there are also several top of the rotation arms slated to become available. Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Blake Snell are all expected to hit the market. The White Sox still intend to trade Garrett Crochet. The Mets could drastically reshape their rotation this offseason, opening a window to contend for years to come.