5 Mets free agent targets they passed on last year that they should sign this winter

The New York Mets have a huge offseason ahead of them as they try and wipe away the bad scent that was the 2023 season. The Mets came into the year expecting to compete for a World Series, but were out of it by July.

While there likely was no magic move Billy Eppler could've made to pull the Mets from a 75-win team to a World Series team, there were still moves he could've made to make the team a bit better.

New York passed on some intriguing free agents that would've made them at least a little bit better, but opted to pass. This offseason they can look at some of those same free agents and this time bring them to Queens.

1) J.D. Martinez

J.D. Martinez is a player the Mets considered both at the 2022 trade deadline and in the 2023 offseason but opted to pass both times. The reasons for that were because he was older, had just gone through a down year where he was plagued by back issues, and was strictly a DH.

The Mets opted to stick with Daniel Vogelbach as their primary DH and paid the price while Martinez reverted back to his old self with the Dodgers. This isn't a huge surprise considering it feels like everyone bounces back with the Dodgers.

Despite obvious concerns for regression and the unfortunate reality that he's strictly a DH, the year Martinez just had combined with the gaping hole the Mets have at DH makes him an obvious candidate for them to pursue.

Martinez was an all-star with the Dodgers, hitting 33 home runs and driving in 103 runs while posting an .893 OPS and a 134 OPS+. He'd provide an instant boost to a lineup that could really use it even if his numbers aren't quite as gaudy.

3) Kevin Kiermaier

Had the Mets not re-signed Brandon Nimmo last offseason, there's a good chance Kevin Kiermaier would've spent the 2023 season in a Mets uniform. This wasn't because Kiermaier was a particularly appealing option, it was really because of how poor the free agency class was in center field.

Kiermaier's stock has shifted dramatically from last offseason to this one. He entered last offseason coming off a brutal year where he struggled offensively and appeared in just 63 games for Tampa Bay. This past season with the Blue Jays was a completely different story. He was terrific and mostly healthy.

In 129 games played, Kiermaier slashed .265/.322/.419 with eight home runs and 36 RBI. He added 14 stolen bases in 15 tries as well as six triples. He capped off the year by winning the fourth Gold Glove of his career as he remained one of the best defensive outfielders in the game.

A Kiermaier addition might not be as simple this time around with Nimmo patrolling center field, but he could prove to be a valuable fourth outfielder, or even slide Nimmo over to left field on occasion. Signing Kiermaier and platooning him with a heavy-hitting right-handed outfielder could be on the horizon too.

4) Matt Moore

The Mets needed to add another reliever in the bullpen last offseason. It felt rather obvious at the time, and was proven to be the case over and over again as the season progressed.

One reliever the Mets could've had for fairly cheap and very late into the offseason was Matt Moore, who signed a one-year deal worth $7.55 million to join the Angels in the middle of February. The former starting pitcher was coming off an unbelievable year with the Rangers out of their bullpen, and would've fit in nicely as a second lefty in the Mets bullpen.

Instead, GM Billy Eppler prefered to have relievers with options, and passed on a quality arm like Moore in favor of arms who are no longer in the organization. Moore went on to have another great year, posting a 2.56 ERA in 50 appearances for the Angels, Guardians, and Marlins.

The southpaw would not only give Carlos Mendoza another reliable lefty to work with, but Moore gives the Mets the option of being used to record more than three outs. He recorded four outs or more eight times last season, including a pair of appearances in which he completed two innings.

The Mets badly need bullpen arms, and Moore should be toward the top of their list.

5) Adam Duvall

Last offseason, the Mets were searching for a fourth outfielder that could also platoon with DH Daniel Vogelbach if need be. Adam Duvall was one of the players they targeted before the veteran outfielder found an everyday role in Boston. The Mets settled on Pham and got good results, but Duvall still had an impressive year when healthy in Beantown.

The 35-year-old smacked 21 home runs in just 92 games and 320 at-bats this season. He's hit as many as 38 home runs in a season in his career, and that happened just two years ago. He's an incredibly streaky hitter that strikes out a lot, but when he gets going, he can hit a ton of home runs in bunches.

A Duvall signing would not only give the Mets more power, but it'd give them some added versatility. He can play all three outfield positions, including center field which is rare for a player with this much power.

Duvall can be a fit in a couple of places for the Mets. He can fill in as the team's primary left fielder, and can also get a bulk of the DH at-bats. WIth how weak the free agency class is, going for a short-term deal with Duvall might make more financial sense than going for a longer-term deal with players like Teoscar Hernandez or Lourdes Gurriel Jr. who could both receive some massive contracts.