3 free agent targets the Mets could battle the Padres to sign next winter

Championship Series - Philadelphia Phillies v San Diego Padres - Game Two
Championship Series - Philadelphia Phillies v San Diego Padres - Game Two / Harry How/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next

2) NY Mets could battle the Padres to sign Julio Urias

What Julio Urias means to the Padres isn’t quite what Aaron Nola means to the Mets. The one thing they have in common in this scenario is they could get stolen away by a rival. The still surprisingly young Los Angeles Dodgers lefty starter will be one of the more interesting free agents next offseason. The Mets and the Padres are both matches for him.

The same reasons the Mets should go after Nola apply for why Urias would be a fit. It would require an even more drastic change in their approach at signing free agent starters. The Mets have gone short-term, high money. Urias is going to get a long deal. He doesn’t turn 27 until this August. At minimum, we should expect him to only accept a 7-year deal; with an opt out early on.

The best years of Urias’ career are still in the future. It took him until the 2021 season to get a full year under his belt. He’ll enter the 2023 campaign with a 49-17 record and 2.82 ERA in 101 starts and 36 relief appearances.

There hasn’t been much discussion about what the future will hold for Urias. We cannot count out the Dodgers keeping him. Seeing how much money the Mets and Padres are willing to spend, even the Dodgers might get outbid.