The best Mets free agent target on each team still hoping to win the 2023 World Series

Mets fans are thinking about 2024, but they should still be paying attention, because there's one player on each of the remaining playoff teams that could look good in blue and orange next year.

Division Series - Los Angeles Dodgers v Arizona Diamondbacks - Game Three
Division Series - Los Angeles Dodgers v Arizona Diamondbacks - Game Three | Norm Hall/GettyImages
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Michael Brantley

Our final free agent target isn't a splashy move, but it could help shore up the Mets' depth in the outfield and at DH.

Michael Brantley should be available on a cheap one- or two-year deal, and he can still be an effective lefty bat. If the Mets move on from Daniel Vogelbach, Brantley would be an upgrade at DH, plus he can play in left or even act as Starling Marte insurance in case he can't stay healthy again.

Brantley is 36, and durability is a concern. He recently missed over a year with a torn labrum, but since his return in late August he's looked like his old self, even homering in the Astros' series-clinching win over the Twins on Wednesday.

D.J. Stewart was electric in August for the Mets, but he faltered down the stretch. Though he probably figures into the Mets' 2024 plans in some way, having another lefty off the bench couldn't hurt.

Brantley would also bring the Mets a veteran presence that hasn't missed the playoffs since 2016. For a team that reportedly had locker room issues last year, he could be the perfect character-building addition.

Mets fans that haven't totally moved on to football season yet can do some advanced scouting the next couple weeks. Odds are, someone that's playing deep into October will be coming to Flushing next year. Which way will new president of baseball operations David Stearns go? I'm hoping for Montgomery and Gurriel, but we'll find out in the next few months.

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