7 Mets free agent predictions

Predicting 7 players the Mets will sign this offseason.
World Baseball Classic Semifinals: Mexico v Japan
World Baseball Classic Semifinals: Mexico v Japan / Megan Briggs/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 7
Next

We are in the middle of the hot stove of the offseason, and the New York Mets are going to have a busy winter. The team has many areas of work, with pitching, starting, and relief being part of the greatest needs on the Mets roster for 2024.

David Stearns must focus the resources of Steve Cohen and his farm system to achieve, most efficiently and creatively, making the Mets a competitive team without having to sacrifice top prospects or large volumes of economic resources. I understand Stearns' modus operandi from his time with the Milwaukee Brewers. These would be the Mets President of Baseball Operations' free agent signing predictions this offseason.

The big target among starting pitchers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, would sign with the Mets

The signing of Yoshinobu Yamamoto would be a big move for Stearns in his first year with the Mets and possibly the only one of its kind in this free agency. The Mets' plan has been clear since last season's trade deadline fire sale, where it was evident that the Mets would be spending more conservatively and prioritizing their sustainability in prospects moving forward.

However, unlike most options in free agency this offseason, Yamamoto is the one that makes the most sense for the Mets. He covers the immediate need that the team has in the rotation for 2024, and due to his young age, he would be a prime player for the coming years when the team intends to compete with its future stars.

The winner of three Sawamura Awards, Japan's equivalent of the Cy Young Award, and three-time Triple Crown winner is a high-potential pitcher with great stuff and command, who could adapt and dominate in MLB as soon as 2024. The bidding for Yamamoto will be aggressive, and the teams will have to offer a lot of money and years of contract to convince them to sign this pitcher, who also comes with a posting fee that increases his cost much more.

Either way, the Mets will end up winning the bid for Yamamoto, converting the Mets' rotation into a duo of efficient Japanese pitchers alongside Kodai Senga. Yamamoto will establish himself as a dominant figure in MLB starting this season and the ace of the New York Mets.