The premium free-agent targets are obvious enough.
Presuming that Michael Conforto isn’t coming back, the Mets need to sign, say, three players from among the likes of Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman, Marcus Stroman, Robbie Ray, Kris Bryant, Starling Marte, and Javier Baez to have a truly successful offseason.
Signing Steven Matz wouldn’t have changed that equation either. He had a solid bounce-back season with the Blue Jays but he’s not a difference-maker.
In any case, even if the Mets make good on what seemed to be a declaration from Steve Cohen last week to spend at the top of the market, they’re going to need to shop for depth as well, with so little major league-ready help available in the farm system.
With that in mind, and with a nod to Black Friday as well, here are players the Mets may want or need to consider from the free-agent bargain list, depending partly on what other moves they make. Not all of these players will come cheap but they’re all at least an aisle or two away from the big-ticket items.
Even if the Mets do sign Marte, pushing Brandon Nimmo to a corner outfield spot, or Bryant, likely making Jeff McNeil primarily an outfielder, Rosario could still be a valuable pick-up, especially if the DH is adopted in the NL as expected, and Dom Smith gets a lot of those at-bats.
The question is how much is a hot September and hotter October worth in what was otherwise an injury-plagued, subpar season? Remember, Cleveland gave Rosario away to the Braves at the deadline just to dump his salary. But at age 30, he’s always been a solid lefty bat and he’d be a nice pick-up.
No matter which starting pitchers are signed, the starting rotation is going to be surrounded by question marks due to injury and inexperience. Loading up in the pen will be one way to transfer some of the load.
Knebel was an important piece in the Dodgers’ pen late in the season, but injuries in recent years, including a lat injury that cost him three months in 2021, are likely to limit his earning power. He could provide late-inning help for Edwin Diaz and Seth Lugo.
Much depends what else the Mets do at third base, and in the end Villar’s numbers last season weren’t terribly impressive, but for $3.55 million he played an important role in Queens, filling in at third and even at short when Francisco Lindor was hurt.
He got some big hits, and though he made some bone-headed baserunning mistakes, he also helped win some games with his aggressiveness on the bases. Probably can be had for a similar one-year deal.
He’s a long way from his 2013 NL MVP form, but McCutchen quietly had a solid year for the Phillies in left field. Hit only .222, but had a .344 on-base percentage and still has some pop, slugging .444. Played 144 games, but at age 35 next season might be ready for more of a part-time role.
He was one of the top bargains of the year in 2021, signing a one-year, $3 million deal with the Padres and then leading the NL with 39 saves to go with a 2.23 ERA.
Even at age 37, Melancon would be a nice late-inning option and a different look compared to Diaz. Melancon’s not a big strikeout guy but relies on soft contact with his cutter and curveball. Says one scout, “He just knows how to pitch.”
Re-signing him won’t send fans running to buy tickets, but even at 42 next season the lefty could be a very good No. 5-type starter option.
Hill doesn’t go deep into games, but who does anymore besides the top-of-the-rotation starters? And indeed he was a solid five-inning pitcher for the Mets last season after coming over in a July trade with the Rays, pitching to a 3.84 ERA. As long as he can throw that big, tantalizing curveball at different speeds, he should be serviceable.
Somewhat like Rosario, Soler was having a lousy season until he showed up in Atlanta via a trade with the Royals, found his power stroke and wound up earning World Series MVP honors.
Again, much depends what else the Mets do to address their outfield, but Soler’s power could be a nice addition for a team that ranked 12th in the National League with 176 home runs.
Canha has been a solid outfielder for the A’s in recent years, playing both corners and even occasionally in center. Nothing spectacular about his numbers but he has some pop, and his 111 OPS-plus reflects the difficulty of hitting in Oakland.
Depending what else the Mets do, Canha could be an ideal fourth outfielder, perhaps platooning if Smith is still going to get time in left.
At age 37 next season, there will be questions about how much Robertston has left, especially since he hasn’t pitched much in the last three years, mostly due to Tommy John surgery.
However, the Rays trusted him enough to give him innings in the postseason after signing him in August following Robertson’s stint with the Olympic team, and he pitched well for them. Depending on the cost he could be a nice pick-up.
Lorenzen is an intriguing pitcher despite an injury-plagued season in Cincinnati, as a shoulder and hamstring injury limited him to 29 innings and a 5.59 ERA. Other than last year, however, the right-hander has been durable and effective out of the bullpen in recent seasons.
And while he’s no Shohei Ohtani, Lorenzen is a legit option as a hitter and has played outfield for the Reds in addition to pitching.
