NY Mets rumors and action hint at an avoidance David Stearns may have in free agency

New York Mets rumors have been abundant this week with a heavy focus on pitching. While the wait to learn where Juan Soto goes intensifies, the B-Story this week is how the team will continue to fill its rotation after signing Frankie Montas.

What we’ve learned from this week’s Mets rumors is the team may not be done hunting for perceived free agent bargains. While not necessarily going to the clearance rack at the dollar store, rumblings of the team considering Walker Buehler or something as bold as making Clay Holmes a starting pitcher offer a hint of where David Stearns’ head is at and maybe even one of his biggest offseason concerns.

How willing are the Mets to sign a pitcher to a long-term deal?

The well of top-tier free agent starting pitchers without the qualifying offer penalties attached to them is drying up. Blake Snell got his deal. So did Yusei Kikuchi, a pitcher more on the same platform as Sean Manaea whose market could stall because he does have the QO penalties dragging behind him. The Mets wouldn’t suffer any backlash in the draft for re-signing him.

Stearns has been very careful about long commitments. Every free agent he signed last offseason is gone, at least for now. Based on these early rumors, it doesn’t seem the team is too eager to make any sort of long commitment to a starting pitcher.

This doesn’t mean things can’t change. Corbin Burnes is the best bet if the team swings and misses on Soto. A reunion with Manaea would require more than just a year with an opt out after one season like they gave him last winter. He won’t break the bank with his next deal. He’d buck the trend of one-year deals with pitchers which has thus far been the forte of Stearns.

The script certainly feels like it’ll flip if the Mets don’t sign Soto. There’s only so long you can target $300+ million free agents and keep the money in the bank. With so few starting pitchers under contract in the coming years, a farm system where many of the arms have hit walls once reaching Triple-A, and a free agent class next year without as much fruit to pick from, the Mets would be wise to add some kind of permanence to their rotation at the top. Otherwise, they’re going to be attempting to catch lightning in a bottle with guys like Manaea, Montas, and Luis Severino yearly. It’s just not going to always work.