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Four days after their 2024 season came to an end with a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns already has a plan for what he wants to accomplish this offseason.
Speaking to reporters during his end-of-season press conference, Stearns noted the Mets will look to add “multiple” starting pitchers to their roster either via free agency or trades:
“This isn’t new to us. We faced a similar task last offseason. We’re going to have to replace innings. Certainly part of that could potentially be from some of those guys returning, or we may look elsewhere. But we’re going to have to add starting pitching. We’re going to have to add multiple starters. We understand that. We went into last offseason with the same need and I think we’ll be able to do it.”
It’s not a surprise that Stearns is admitting publicly the Mets will need rotation help. Luis Severino and José Quintana are set to become free agents. Sean Manaea can hit free agency by declining his $13.5 million player option.
Those three players combined for 534 innings and 94 starts in 2024. David Peterson was the only other Mets pitcher with at least 20 starts and 100 innings.
The Mets will get some relief in the rotation with a fully healthy season from Kodai Senga. He only made one start during the regular season due to a shoulder capsule strain and calf strain.
Senga was the anchor of the 2023 rotation with a 2.98 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 166.1 innings.
Coming off a season in which the Mets made a surprise run to the NLCS, owner Steve Cohen could be a huge wild card in everything that happens this offseason.
Corbin Burnes is the best available starter on the market. There have also been rumblings that Nippon Professional Baseball star Roki Sasaki is looking to pitch in MLB, but it’s unclear if the Chiba Lotte Marines will post him this winter.
Gerrit Cole could become a free agent because his deal with the New York Yankees has an opt-out. Doing so would be leaving four years and $144 million on the table, but there’s a catch because the Yankees could add an extra year to his deal that would pay him $36 million in 2029.
Other notable free-agent starters available this offseason include Max Fried and Jack Flaherty. Blake Snell could hit the market by declining his $38.5 million player option with the San Francisco Giants.
Even though Cohen and the Mets expressed a desire to take a patient approach by building up their farm system after things fell apart during the 2023 season following an offseason spending spree, their success this season may have altered those plans a bit.
The Mets can still focus on strengthening their farm system, but it would be stunning if they didn’t try to make at least one or two major free-agent additions to bolster their chances of getting past the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025.
