3 free agent pitchers the Mets should avoid if they miss on Yoshinobu Yamamoto

All eyes are on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and that's been the case really ever since Shohei Ohtani signed. Everyone assumed that Ohtani signing would break the seal of the offseason and get other free agents signed, but things have been as quiet as ever in recent weeks.

The New York Mets are one of the teams waiting on Yoshinobu Yamamoto's decision. They seem to be right in the thick of the mix as a team Yamamoto could easily wind up with. The fit makes a lot of sense for a Mets team in dire need of starting pitching help, and Yamamoto's age fits the Mets timeline quite well.

If the Mets miss out on Yamamoto, chances are they're going to be in on other starting pitching help. Right now, the only locks in the rotation are Kodai Senga, Luis Severino, and Jose Quintana. They're going to need at least one more starting pitcher to be somewhat competitive in 2024. Here are three they should not be pursuing.

1) Blake Snell

Blake Snell hasn't made any sense as a Mets target, and missing out on Yamamoto wouldn't change that. It might be a bit crazy to say that the Mets absolutely should not be pursuing the reigning Cy Young winner, but that's absolutely the case with Snell.

The most obvious reason why the Snell fit doesn't make any sense is he has the qualifying offer attached to him. For the Mets to sign him, they'd have to forfeit a pair of draft picks and international money which the Mets have shown a hesitancy to do under Steve Cohen. Their focus right now is to build the team up without only relying on free agency, and forfeiting picks and international money would be the exact opposite of that.

While the qualifying offer is the main reason the Mets should not and likely will not pursue Snell, it's not an end-all-be-all for all free agents. For example, the Mets would've happily signed Shohei Ohtani who also had the qualifying offer attached to him if he was interested in coming to New York.

Snell doesn't make much sense as a fit for the Mets for other reasons as well. First, his durability or lack thereof can be a concern. The southpaw has made 30+ starts just twice in his eight year career and has made 25+ starts only three times. He's topped the 130 innings mark just twice as well.

Additionally, Snell has been rather inconsistent when he is on the field. Sure, he's won the two Cy Youngs, but in the four seasons in between his Cy Young victories he has a 3.85 ERA averaging 21 starts per season. Not bad, obviously, but also not ace-like. Snell is supremely talented, but his inconsistency, lack of durability, and the cost it'll take to get him makes him extremely unappealing.