3) Sign Corbin Burnes
Matching the Mets and soon-to-be free agent Corbin Burnes goes beyond just the connection to David Stearns. It definitely helps.
It seems the Brewers have no shot at extending or even re-signing Burnes. After taking him to arbitration last offseason, the relationship has seemed tarnished. Burnes seems guaranteed to become a free agent and all it will cost the Mets is money.
Three straight All-Star selections and four straight years of being in the top ten of the Cy Young vote should make him one of the most desirable pitchers out there. Next winter’s list of free agent pitchers is stacked (more on them later) to the point where there is plenty of help available. Unlike the bidding war for Yoshinobu Yamamoto where the alternatives are much less, teams can pivot away from Burnes and let the bigger spenders like the Mets eat each other alive.
Burnes will hit the open market ahead of his age 30 season. It’s about what could be expected. He’ll do so with about 900 MLB innings under his belt, assuming he logs around 190-200 more in 2024. The Mets won’t be buying an overly damaged pitcher. For at least a couple of years, he can help anchor the rotation.