1 red flag the NY Mets can’t ignore with these top free agent fits

It’s officially the season of Photoshop jerseys and wild offseason speculation, where every marquee free agent suddenly seems just a handshake away from Citi Field. CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson recently laid out his top 25 free-agent destinations, and the New York Mets, with one of baseball’s biggest payrolls, naturally show up near the top for several stars. Hope is easy to spark, but it’s worth peeking under the wrapping paper on some of these potential offseason presents from Steve Cohen—sometimes the gifts come with red flags tucked inside.

Framber Valdez

Valdez enters this offseason as one of the top arms available, with four seasons of reliability—averaging 192 innings and a 3.21 ERA. That consistency easily justifies a price tag of $25-$30 million. The catch? Valdez pitches to contact, and with the Mets’ defense sitting in the bottom half of MLB in OAA and DRS, balls in play could turn into headaches for the club unless Stearns makes additional moves.

Alex Bregman

Bregman hits free agency playing a position the Mets treated like a revolving door in 2025: third base. His .273/.360/.821 line with 18 homers and 62 RBIs in Boston is solid, not spectacular. With a market value near $27 million per year, that’s a hefty tab for a pull-heavy hitter moving from Boston to a potentially bigger left field—and a defender who, by the numbers, wasn’t much of an upgrade over Brett Baty.

Ranger Suarez

Suárez hits the market after a steady year in Philadelphia, posting a 3.20 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 151 strikeouts over 157.1 innings. Like Framber Valdez, he thrives on contact, which means he’d be at the mercy of the Mets’ defense. With a $27 million market value, you’d expect a top-of-the-rotation arm, but Suárez doesn’t fit that role—he feels more like another classic Stearns mid-rotation special.

Dylan Cease

Cease hits free agency after another roller-coaster season in San Diego, posting a 4.55 ERA and finishing in the bottom 20% of MLB in walk rate. The strikeouts are always seductive—over 200 in each of the past five seasons—but so are the earned runs. With a $26 million market value, Cease’s stuff screams ace, yet his results keep whispering “handle with care.”

Trent Grisham

Grisham picked the perfect time to find his swing, entering free agency off a career year that saw him hit .235/.348/.811 with 34 homers and 72 RBIs. With a market value between $12–$15 million, the numbers look tempting—but so does fool’s gold. The Mets would be paying for the outlier, not the norm, as the three seasons prior to 2025 all featured sub-.200 averages and sub-.700 OPS marks.

Josh Naylor

Naylor turned in another strong season split between Arizona and Seattle, hitting .295/.353/.816 with 20 homers and 92 RBIs—his third straight year topping 90. Add in solid defense, and you can see why his market value hovers around $15 million per year. Still, if the Mets manage to bring Pete Alonso back, Naylor represents a noticeable offensive dip, not a replacement who keeps the lineup’s thunder intact.