DALLAS — As staffers around him in the hotel suite packed up, David Stearns summed up the Winter Meetings on Wednesday.
“This was a very active Winter Meetings in terms of discussion,” the New York Mets president of baseball operations said. “Candidly, probably a little surprised that throughout the industry there haven’t been more actual signings.”
The biggest signing, of course, was still not official as Stearns spoke. But the Mets brass was flying back to introduce Juan Soto on Thursday afternoon at Citi Field.
The Soto move would be the headliner of any offseason for any team. But what else did we learn about the Mets over three days at the Hilton Anatole and what could come next?
Market picking up for hitters, including Pete Alonso
Even with the addition of Soto, the Mets have room for improvement in their position-player group. First base is the obvious hole. Pete Alonso is the obvious candidate to fill it.
“We’d love to bring Pete back,” Stearns said Monday. “Pete’s been a great Met. He had some enormous hits for us and we’ll see where that goes.”
There’s an emotional element as the Mets try to bring back Pete Alonso. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Stearns said the market has been “playing a little slower” at first base than elsewhere. That should open up with Soto off the board.
“A lot of market locomotion regarding Pete. The Polar Bear Express is rolling,” said Scott Boras, Alonso’s agent. “Power in this game is such a commodity.”
Stearns acknowledged the decision with Alonso — or with Sean Manaea — carries an emotional heft that other moves don’t.
“Any time we have players who have performed well for us, who are good people, who have fit in well, absolutely stripping that (emotion) away becomes a little more challenging,” he said. “While making decisions, it is also my job to try to strip that away a little bit and try to implement processes and systems within our organization that allow us to make the best decisions possible both near and long term.”
Boras said the Mets have indicated no qualms about adding another big-money free agent.
“It’s pretty evident the Mets have decided they’re going to pursue winning and winning for a long time,” he said. “They’ve made it very clear they’re not limited to signing one great player.”
“Our ownership has consistently demonstrated that there’s going to be resources when we need them,” Stearns said. “There is the ability for us to make baseball moves when we think that they’re there to improve the team.”
Sean Manaea could benefit from windfall for starters
The Mets maintain interest in a reunion with the left-handed starter, whose price tag could surge alongside other starters in the free-agent market. To this point, starters have done exceptionally well on the open market, with Blake Snell, Luis Severino, Max Fried and Nathan Eovaldi all doing better than our projections. We projected Manaea for four years and $76 million; take the over.
Boras said a deal could be soon for Manaea.
“The demand is really something that’s going to happen soon,” he said.
Another Mets target, Garrett Crochet, was traded from the White Sox to Boston on Wednesday. The Red Sox surrendered a package that included one top-100 prospect in catcher Kyle Teel and the 12th overall pick in last summer’s draft in outfielder Braden Montgomery.
The Mets pursued Crochet at the Winter Meetings, as The Athletic reported Monday, but talks between the clubs by Tuesday had quieted, a league source said.
“They got some really good players and Boston also got a really good starting pitcher,” Stearns said, mentioning that the Mets and White Sox had been in “constant discussion” about Crochet. “It doesn’t surprise me that the cost of reeling in a top-flight starter is significant prospect capital.”
Stearns said Monday that the team had “room” for another starter but that it wasn’t a “necessity.” New York has signed Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes to its rotation.
Stearns said Tuesday that he expected “multiple” starting pitchers to be dealt in the next few weeks. He added that the Mets don’t have a preference for adding via free agency or a trade.
“I think we have to be active in all of these different areas and do our best to find the fit, talent, term, dollars, acquisition cost, all that stuff that makes the most sense for us,” he said.
Aside from Manaea, Nick Pivetta and Walker Buehler are potential options on the free-agent market. Even with Crochet off the board, speculatively, Seattle’s Luis Castillo, Tampa Bay’s Jeffrey Springs and Miami’s Jesús Luzardo could be on the move in trades.
Mets make pitch to Roki Sasaki
And then there’s Roki Sasaki, the Japanese right-hander posted on Tuesday.
Because of the timeframe of the posting system, the Mets need to operate as if they won’t get Sasaki and that if they do land him, he’d be a bonus.
Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, said the 23-year-old will meet with teams at a centralized location next week. After those meetings, which will likely be held in Los Angeles, Sasaki may travel to see certain teams.
In preparation for any possible meetings, the Mets recently sent their presentation to Sasaki’s agency.
The Athletic reported last month that the Mets are believed to be in a decent position, league sources said, because they have a good feel for the market. That was evidenced not only by their signing of Japanese pitcher Kodai Senga but also by how they have handled his transition to the big leagues, which has been perceived positively within the industry. The Mets also appear to have made a good impression during their pursuit last winter of Japanese free-agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Though Yamamoto ultimately chose the Dodgers, the Mets made a strong run at the pitcher with their presentation.
“We highlight a variety of different things,” Stearns said when asked about the presentation to Sasaki. “The first is who we are as an organization, what we believe in, what we think makes us a little unique compared to other teams he might be considering. We highlight the various services we can provide for a player. We highlight our familiarity with transitioning a Japanese starter to the major-league schedule. We highlight our pitching apparatus, our health apparatus, our nutrition apparatus. We want him to know we have the resources and the ability to make the transition as smooth as possible.”
Mets could pay down Starling Marte’s contract in a trade
The Mets would be willing to absorb some of Starling Marte’s salary in a trade, people familiar with the club’s thinking said. There were no indications as of Wednesday afternoon that any deal was imminent. But with Soto’s presence in right field, it would be logical for the Mets to at least seriously consider moving Marte.
Marte, 36, is entering the final year of his contract and is set to make $20.75 million.
Paying down some of Marte’s salary would obviously improve the club’s chances of a better trade return.
However, a path exists where the Mets could end up keeping Marte. Stearns values depth and often stresses that more than three outfielders can rack up, say, 400 plate appearances in a given season. Still, Stearns never carried someone like Soto, who, in addition to his prolific hitting, plays every day. The Mets also feature Brandon Nimmo in left field, Jose Siri in center field and Tyrone Taylor, who can deftly play all three outfield spots.
The designated hitter spot remains open for the Mets. It’s conceivable that Marte finds time there as well if the Mets end up holding onto him.
Injuries again limited Marte in 2024, but he offered some productivity at the plate and on the bases when available. In 94 games (370 plate appearances), Marte hit 7 home runs with a .715 OPS and 16 stolen bases (caught only once).
Mets interested in another former Yankee
The Mets, along with some other clubs, remained in the mix Wednesday for free-agent right-handed reliever Jonathan Loaisiga, a league source said. At least one team presented Loaisiga with a multi-year offer, the source said.
In each of the last three seasons, Loaisiga, a former Yankees reliever, missed time because of injuries. He underwent an elbow surgery in May. When healthy, Loaisiga, 30, demonstrated tantalizing stuff with an impressive sinker.
The bullpen is one area where Stearns’ offseason strategy didn’t pan out as planned in 2024. The Mets signed five different relievers to deals of at least $1 million last season: Only Adam Ottavino was still on the major-league roster by the end of the year, with Michael Tonkin, Jorge López and Jake Diekman being let go in-season. Shintaro Fujinami never pitched for the big-league club.
In nine seasons leading front offices, Stearns has signed one reliever to a deal that guaranteed multiple seasons (Matt Albers ahead of the 2019 season).
The market on relievers started to move in the last week, with Aroldis Chapman (one year for $10.5 million) and Blake Treinen (two years for $22 million) signing. The Mets of course signed Holmes to be a starter, and Jeff Hoffman, recently of the Phillies, has also expressed interest in moving to a rotation.
Mets lose two in Rule 5 draft
In the Rule 5 Draft, the Mets lost right-hander Mike Vasil to the Philadelphia Phillies and left-hander Nate Lavender to the Tampa Bay Rays. In Triple A last season, Vasil had a 6.04 ERA in 134 innings (27 starts). The Rays can stash Lavender, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, on the 60-day injured list, provided they keep him on their 40-man roster until spring training.
“You never want to lose any player in a Rule 5 draft,” Stearns said. “We simultaneously wish them well and also hope to get them back.”
If Vasil (this year) and Lavender (next year upon his return) can’t stick on the major-league roster for their respective teams, they have to be offered back to the Mets.
(Photo of Starling Marte: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
