4 NY Mets offseason whiffs we wish they made hard contact with

If the Mets were successful at landing any of these four, we'd feel better right now.
San Diego Padres v New York Mets
San Diego Padres v New York Mets | Brandon Sloter/GettyImages
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3) Not snatching Michael King in free agency

Michael King signed for only three years with an opt out after the first season. He got the same $25 million per year as Sean Manaea. Everything about the deal is perfect for the Mets with the one exception being how likely it is he re-enters free agency again after one year.

King was one of several players who received a qualifying offer and with it comes the loss of two draft picks plus $1 million in international bonus slot money taken away. If King had signed with the Mets and pitched poorly, it causes some trouble for next offseason with him lingering around and $50 million owed to him. If he pitched well, he opts out and the Mets are left high and dry with additional losses in the farm system.

King was an offseason target of the Mets that they reasonably didn’t end up with. It doesn’t provide much solace knowing he’ll return to the San Diego Padres where he has excelled for two years after finally getting a consistent chance to start.

One of the biggest frustrations with Mets fans at the moment is the lack of knowledge as to what the rotation will look like in 2026. They need to make a subtraction and addition at the bare minimum. King could have been an early addition to pave way for a subtraction. Instead, he goes back to the Padres and the Mets are left with the same projected starting five from when the offseason began.

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