The Mets have already made the biggest blockbuster of the season, however, Steve Cohen’s deep pockets and desire to win could have them in line for a few more.
While this whole week has been about the New York Mets celebrating landing a generational talent in Juan Soto to the largest contract of all time, their work this offseason is far from done. With the richest owner in the MLB telling Soto he wants to win two to four World Series in the next decade, it stands to reason that he’ll stop at nothing to achieve that quest.
As currently constructed, the Mets still aren’t the favorite to dethrone the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The team still lacks an ace, could use help in the bullpen, and while the lineup is improved with Soto, he’s essentially an Alonso replacement which leaves another hole open.
To get where Cohen wants to go in 2025 and beyond, the Mets will have to lay it all on the line. They have to think big. And because of that, these three blockbuster moves to build a super team may be on the horizon.
1) The NY Mets sign Corbin Burnes to lead the rotation
The Mets entered the offseason needing to replace at least three-fifths of their starting rotation. So far the answers have been signing a guy in Frankie Montas who posted an ERA near five while coming off a major shoulder injury, and signing a career reliever in Clay Holmes who needs to evolve to become a competent starter.
Even if you believe in those two guys having success in the Mets rotation, they’re still without a true ace. Meanwhile, the Dodgers added to their embarrassment of riches in the rotation signing two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell earlier this offseason.
The starting pitching market has gotten wild. Luis Severino signed for more than expected with the Athletics. Nathan Eovaldi got more than many thought in his return to Texas. The Yankees panic-bought Max Fried, the other true ace on the free-agent market, to the tune of eight years and $218 million. On the trade market, the Red Sox gave up a king’s ransom for Garrett Crochet.
Yet, despite all this movement and dollars being thrown about, the best starter on the market, Corbin Burnes, remains available. Burnes is in a tier well above the likes of Severino and Eovaldi. He offers much more certainty and durability than Snell and Crochet who have combined for just three total seasons of over 140 innings pitched in their careers.
Burnes is a workhorse with four straight years of at least 160 innings pitched and 193 or more innings in each of the last three seasons. Unlike Fried, he has multiple ways to get hitters out, either by using finesse to generate soft contact, as evidenced by his 48.2% groundball rate last season, or with power to dominate hitters via the strikeout, as evidenced by the 12.61 K/9 he posted in 2021, his first full season as a starter.
Burnes paired with Kodai Senga at the top of the rotation would give the Mets a one-two punch that could match up with anyone. He’d be the second top prize the Mets could come away with this free agency period.
While some have indicated that the Mets aren’t in on Burnes, every day that passes and every alternative that comes off the board makes a match seem more and more likely. The Mets have the cash, the need, and the desire to win, so this is a move that needs to happen.
2) The NY Mets should reunite with slugger Pete Alonso
As much as Juan Soto improves the Mets lineup, as currently constructed, his bat is essentially replacing another prodigious slugger in Pete Alonso. However, the question remains as to who provides protection to Soto in the lineup.
Sure, Mark Vientos, 25, is a budding star, and his 27 home runs and 133 wRC+ last season should give fans a lot to be excited over. With that said, there’s still a hole in the lineup and at first base, that needs to be filled. If the Mets want to topple the Dodgers, they’ll need to run out a lineup that can counteract their elite pitching staff. Soto alone isn’t enough to achieve that goal.
Entering the offseason, Pete Alonso was the best available hitter not named Juan Soto on the market, regardless of position. Over the last six seasons, only Aaron Judge has crushed more long balls than Alonso’s 226. No one has driven in more runs than Alonso’s 586 over that same time period. Imagine what he could do with an on-base wizard like Soto batting in front of him.
Alonso’s market has been softer than expected so far this winter. First base option B, Christian Walker, has garnered most of the buzz to this point. Numerous trade options exist that first-base needy teams could look to to fill a hole at a discount. The longer Alonso’s market takes to develop, the more likely it is that he comes back at a discount.
Stearns has spoken directly about how fond the organization is of Alonso. Carlos Mendoza has echoed those sentiments. It’s common knowledge that Cohen has the resources to make anything the team deems a necessity happen. Given all of that, the Mets should take action and make sure that Alonso retires a Met. If it takes a blockbuster offer, so be it. The potential of a lineup featuring Soto and Alonso along with Lindor is just too good to pass up.
3) The NY Mets need to beef up their bullpen by adding Tanner Scott
Something that hasn’t gotten a lot of buzz recently is the state of the Mets’ bullpen. As currently constructed, it’s basically Edwin Diaz and then a bunch of guys. Yes, you can point to Jose Butto and his 2.00 ERA in 36 innings as a reliever last year as another bright spot. However, Butto might be called upon as a starter at some point during the season, and regardless the Mets still need more.
So far, the team has kicked the tires on bargain options like the injury-plagued Jonathan Loaisiga but has not made any substantial moves toward adding top-end talent. Fortunately for them, there’s still a top-tier option sitting around waiting to get paid.
Tanner Scott provides everything the Mets should want in a setup man as they look to build a bridge from the rotation to Diaz. The hard-throwing lefty would add another southpaw to the mix as only Danny Young and his 4.54 ERA last season reside in the Mets’ projected bullpen as a left-handed option.
Above and beyond that, Scott can be utterly dominant. Last season, he pitched to a 1.75 ERA over 72 innings while posting a 50% groundball rate. For his career, he owns a sterling 30.4% strikeout rate showing how he can simply blow hitters away with his nasty fastball-slider combo.
At just 30 years old, he should have plenty of life left in his arm to make him worth a multi-year investment. As one of the top relievers on the board, he won’t come cheap. However, the tantalizing prospect of Scott and Diaz closing out games should be too much for the Mets to pass up and Cohen would be wise to open up the checkbook and present Scott with an offer he can’t refuse.
