10 best free agent targets the Mets need to go after hard in the next two offseasons

The New York Mets are on one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. The team has put its expectations for this year on hold and has migrated to a plan for the future in the short and medium term with the acquisition of various prospects in the past trade deadline.

This new vision and direction of the team make the front office look at the options available in the market, especially for 2024 and 2025. In this sense, the market offers options that can contribute to improving positions in which the team has a need, these ten candidates being the ones that best fit this new Mets strategy.

10) John Means could be an option for the Mets rotation starting in 2025

The Mets did a good job last trade deadline, driving the highest possible return on their stars. In these trades, the Mets managed to get position players with high potential to impact MLB, which was a wise decision since the next free agencies do not have many relevant options.

However, the team still needs pitching, especially in the rotation part. The 2025 class has several options for pitchers with track records and good performance in their MLB career that could be targeted for the Mets, where John Means enters as a viable option.

Means is in the process of recovery after Tommy John surgery performed in 2022. The Orioles left-hander could return in late 2023 or 2024 in what would be his last year of guaranteed contract before hitting free agency.

Means has been an efficient pitcher with great command and control of his pitches and has been efficient in a ballpark whose dimensions at the time were not an advantage for a left-handed pitcher. Means could be a low-cost target for the Mets, who could enter in the mid-lower part of the rotation, offering impact potential for the team.

8) The Mets could have a rotation in 2025 with a pitcher like Shane Bieber

Shane Bieber has been the subject of discussion about the Cleveland Guardians' interest in trading him to other teams this past year. This was a failed attempt this trade deadline due to an injury to his throwing arm.

After being the Cy Young of the 2020 season and by good numbers for the following two seasons, Bieber presented a regression in 2023 that could be explained by the injury. Bieber has been a command-and-control pitcher who has managed to limit his opponents' strength contact throughout his career.

Bieber would be a free agent in 2025 at the age of 30 and could be a target for many organizations. Despite not being the ace he used to be, Bieber could be the No. 2 pitcher in a rotation if he stays healthy.

His slider continues to be a pitch that can generate swing-and-miss and weak contact, being the one that hits him with the lowest percentage in his arsenal. His cost would not be as high as other options in free agency, giving the Mets flexibility to acquire a pitcher of his caliber with the opportunity to have room to upgrade to another pitcher in the rotation or bullpen.

7) Tyler Glasnow could be an intriguing option for the Mets in 2025

Tyler Glasnow has been a dominant pitcher on the mound when he's been healthy. The Tampa Bay Rays right-hander has been showing command and control while continuing to retire hitters via strikeout at a high percentage.

The right-hander would be entering free agency in 2025 at the age of 31. Due to his age, injury history, and number of innings pitched per season, he is a high-risk, high-reward target.

Glasnow continues to strike out at a rate of more than 12 per 9 innings, which is an elite indicator for a starting pitcher. But while this has helped him limit contact from his opponents, he is being hit with the highest hard contact hit of his career.

Despite these details, Tyler will continue to attract many interested parties due to his potential and dominance. The Mets could sign Glasnow as the No. 2 pitcher in their rotation on a 3- to 4-year contract without having to make a long-term financial commitment.

Glasnow would provide stability and experience in a rotation with multiple question marks. Tyler Glasnow is the kind of pitcher who can dominate in the NL East, putting the Mets in a better position with him in the rotation.

6) Walker Buehler could be the ace the Mets have been looking for

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Walker Buehler could be back this season with the National League West Division team. Buehler continues to recover from his second career Tommy John surgery, performed in August 2022.

The 2024 season represents the final year of arbitration for Walker Buehler before trying free agency. It is natural to think that being the first and perhaps the only time that a player of his caliber has been able to enter into negotiations with multiple teams, it is a certainty that Buehler will join the FA in 2025.

Buehler has been a command-and-control pitcher, with complete dominance on the mound and postseason experience. The right-hander has a career ERA of 3.02 and in his best season, he racked up over 200 innings pitched with a 171 ERA+ in 2021.

Walker Buehler would enter free agency at the age of 30, which would mean that the pitcher would seek a contract of at least six years. Should the young pitcher not post a good season in 2024, you would still expect teams to be highly interested in his services since pitchers coming off Tommy John surgeries tend to have a fit-gap of at least one full season.

Due to his two surgeries earlier in his career, Buehler could come at a slight discount for a one-rotation ace pitcher. Buehler could be, along with Kodai Senga, the efficient ace duo that the team has always wanted to have to reach the championship.

5) Josh Hader could be the lethal weapon the Mets bullpen needs

The greatest need in the short term for the Mets is their starting rotation. However, the bullpen was a headache this 2023 that mitigated their aspirations to reach the postseason. Although, in the team's plans, 2024 looks more like a bridge to compete in 2025, names like Josh Hader emerge as available options that would consolidate the team's bullpen back.

Edwin Diaz is considered to return as the team's closer next season. After Diaz, the team doesn't have a viable and reliable option for high-leverage situations that are so vital for a contending team.

Hader has consistently been one of the best relievers in baseball over the past few seasons. His power fastball and elite spin rate make him a lethal weapon, especially due to his ability to pitch multiple outs and innings.

Hader would be a free agent at the end of this season at the age of 30. Even though the reliever position turns out to be the most volatile on the market, his potential and track record make him the number one target among relievers who could be signed to a multiyear contract.

In a bullpen with Josh Hader and Edwin Diaz, the Mets would become a guaranteed win late in games thanks to the dominance of both pitchers. The Mets should not hesitate to negotiate with Hader this same offseason to consolidate a top team in the league by 2025.

4) Zack Wheeler's comeback to Queens would be one of the best Mets news of 2025

From the second half of 2019 wearing the Mets jersey up until now, Zack Wheeler has been one of the best pitchers in the MLB. In 2023, Wheeler continues his dominance on the mound in a season that could mark the third time in a row Wheeler has finished in the top 5 in Cy Young Award voting.

Wheeler has demonstrated in these years the talent that Sandy Alderson saw in him when they decided to trade for him in the trade that led Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants. Unfortunately, due to injuries that plagued the start of his MLB career, the Mets were unable to see Wheeler in all his glory.

However, Wheeler would be a free agent in 2025 at the age of 35. Despite having an advanced age for a pitcher, the fact that he did not accumulate a high number of innings at the beginning of his career and his current level of performance suggests that he could spend a couple more years in the league, which is a good level.

The Mets would be very interested in Wheeler to rebuild their previous relationship and could get an ace level in a short-term contract. Wheeler's arrival in Queens would be a phenomenal fan event and put the team in an immediate contending position.

3) The superstar the Mets have been waiting for will be available in 2025

A figure that has been in everyone's eye on the way to 2025 is Juan Soto. The baseball superstar would go to free agency after the next season, becoming the most important position player in his class.

Soto is an advanced hitter in baseball since his arrival in the league, with high knowledge of the strike zone, contact, and power, making him one of the best hitters of our generation. Likewise, his figure, style, and personality add to his skills as a leader and partner in the clubhouse.

Sotos is a client of Scott Boras, and because of how the negotiations with his players have flowed, it is correct to think that to sign Soto, one would have to assume an almost record figure for a player in terms of money and contract time because he would be a free agent. with just 26 years. Soto would become the best Mets player immediately, in a possible contract that could be for 14 years.

Although the Mets have future outfield options in Brandon Nimmo, Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford, and Alex Ramirez, signing a player like Soto makes the team a potential dynasty. Soto is possibly the player the Mets have been needing for years to consolidate their offense.

2) Signing Corbin Burnes would make the Mets' rotation one of the best in the league

The main area for improvement now and in the future in the Mets organization is pitching, especially at the top of the rotation. Kodai Senga is projected to be the ace of the rotation for the next few seasons, leaving the team with no other reliable option that can command the starting pitching staff.

Corbin Burnes has been a top 5 MLB starting pitcher for the past few seasons. He is an elite pitcher in control, and command, inducing swing and miss and generating little contact with strength.

Burnes' arsenal is commanded by arguably one of the best cutters in the league who induces weak contact and a career batting average below .215. In the same way, a curve, a changeup, a sinker, and a slider complete his set of pitches, all with a high spin rate.

After completing the 2024 season, Burnes would be a free agent at the age of 30. It is an assurance that Burnes and Soto will command the largest sums and contracts in that free agency each as a top option as a pitcher and position player.

Burnes would enter the Mets' rotation as the number one option on their staff, consolidating a one-two with Senga that could be top of the league. The Mets would need to offer a lucrative and possibly lengthy contract to Burnes that would carry about 7 or 8 years of entry.

1) The Mets must make a big statement and sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto

After the fire leaves the past trade deadline, the Mets have set 2025 as the year in which the team would be in the best position to compete. This isn't to say the 2024 roster won't be competitive, but the team isn't planning to spend lavishly this winter.

Regardless of that, the team will try to look at options in the next free agency that can contribute in 2024 and beyond. This is a necessary step in the quest to establish and put together a more efficient team on the pitch, so Steve Cohen's most successful move should be to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

This would be a movement that is not only necessary but impressive. The fans are feeling down after lowering their aspirations from being a championship-competitive team to one that can barely put together a roster that wins game-to-game this season.

Yamamoto has been a four-time all-star in Japan, a two-time MVP, and a two-time winner of the Eiji Sawamura Award, the equivalent of MLB's Cy Young. The righty won the Triple Crown each of the last two seasons.  

Yamamoto has enough command of his pitches to achieve enough swing-and-miss to swing hitters with a K/9 above 9.0 in his career with a fastball that averages 95 mph, but his breaking balls are even more dominant. 

In thin free agency, as far as starting pitching goes, Yamamoto is the best option available not named Shohei Ohtani. The Mets could form a duo of aces from the Japanese market capable of making a huge impact in MLB without the need to overpay for reliable arms.