5 players traded at this year's deadline for the Mets to target in the offseason via free agency

A large portion of the players moved at the trade deadline tend to be guys on expiring contracts. The New York Mets moved on from as many of those players as they could. Mark Canha had a team option. Tommy Pham and David Robertson were signed to only one-year deals.

The Mets will be buyers of some kind this offseason even if it isn’t as grandiose as we pictured every offseason under Steve Cohen’s control would be. These five players moved at this year’s trade deadline have certain qualities that can make them understandable targets for the Mets to improve the team in 2024 and perhaps beyond.

1) NY Mets free agent target traded at the deadline: Jack Flaherty

Jack Flaherty has a chance to raise his free agent stock in a major way. Traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Baltimore Orioles at this year’s deadline, he has taken on the huge responsibility of being the biggest mercenary pitcher for a team anyone without a rooting interest has adopted. The Orioles are the underdogs who’ve turned themselves into one of the best teams in the league.

Flaherty’s career numbers with the Cardinals do feel a bit deceiving. He left St. Louis with a 41-31 record and 3.58 ERA in parts of seven seasons with them. The key word there is “parts.” Flaherty has only two seasons of making 25 starts or more. He should get there again this year as he finishes the year off with the Orioles.

It’s Flaherty’s age which should have the Mets contemplating him in free agency. He doesn’t turn 28 until the middle of October. He’s not a short-term addition. Flaherty is a guy you sign if you believe he can stay healthy and pitch the way he did early on in St. Louis. He fits in well with a Mets plan to find sustained success. He’s the complete opposite of signing Max Scherzer or Justin Verlander. It’s a commitment over years, not dollars.