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.

3) NY Mets free agent target traded at the deadline: Lucas Giolito

Teams hoping to rebuild their rotations this offseason are in luck thanks to the age of many of the available players. Julio Urias is one of the top names, but he stayed put on the Los Angeles Dodgers roster and is ineligible for this list. One guy under 30 who did get moved is Lucas Giolito. He’s in a similar class as Jack Flaherty and while slightly older has the benefit of a much healthier career.

Giolito turns 30 in the middle of next season. His time with the Chicago White Sox resulted in a 59-52 record and 4.20 ERA. It’s nothing astonishing, but there are some outliers.

In his first full MLB season back in 2018, Giolito tossed 173.1 innings but did so with a 6.13 ERA. In 2022, he threw another 161.2 frames with a 4.90 ERA. The rest of the time he spent in Chicago included ERAs below 4.00.

Giolito is a bit more hit and miss than most free agents we’d like to see the Mets target. His tenure with the Los Angeles Angels hasn’t gotten off to a brilliant beginning. It could have the Mets thinking twice about going anywhere near him.

The big fear with Giolito for many fans could be some similarities to Rick Porcello. He was a member of the 2020 Mets who came here with a reputation for staying healthy. He even had a Cy Young Award to his name. He was a complete bust and never pitched in the majors again. Giolito hasn’t endured the same kind of landslide in his career for a similar ending. Still, there are some reasons to doubt him. He’s a fit for the Mets right now, but also someone to watch closely down the stretch for the Angels.

4) NY Mets free agent targeted traded at the deadline: Randal Grichuk

Now a teammate of Lucas Giolito in Orange County, Randal Grichuk would’ve been a nice addition to the Mets roster last offseason via trade with the Colorado Rockies. The Mets went with Tommy Pham instead. Who can complain?

Grichuk is with his fourth big league club and results have varied. He has averaged 27 home runs and 80 RBI per 162 games in his career but has lifetime numbers hovering around a .250 batting average and .300 OBP.

The Mets could do much worse than Grichuk as a one or two-year stop gap in a corner outfield spot. It might be time to move Starling Marte over to left field and allow Grichuk to assume the right field role instead. It’s not going to push the Mets over the top and yet they could do a whole lot worse.

Grichuk fills the role vacated by Tommy Pham. He has hit lefties well in the past and a platoon wouldn’t be outrageous to expect at some point.

No, you’re not rushing out to buy a Grichuk jersey like you would with some of these other names on the list. It was a lighter trade deadline around the league outside of some of the moves made by the Mets. He’s the level of player we can expect them to add.

5) NY Mets free agent who was traded at the deadline: Jordan Hicks

Even if you haven’t watched too many St. Louis Cardinals games over the years, Jordan Hicks is someone you know a little about. The man throws hard. It’s what he does. Sent from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Toronto Blue Jays at this year’s trade deadline, he turns 26 in September and fits in well as a toy for the Mets to play with.

The results haven’t quite been there for Hicks. He departed the Cardinals with a lifetime 3.98 ERA. He had the stuff to be a closer. Like far too many flamethrowers, he was more ‘Nuke’ LaLoosh than Steve Nebraska. He wrapped up his St. Louis tenure averaging 5.1 walks per 9 innings.

Hicks should have suitors this offseason even if the expectations he came into the league with were never reached. He is a good reliever and plenty of contenders should have him on their radar. He’s not going to fall into the Mets’ laps. Any general manager with sense and patience should look at Hicks as a project worth investing in.

The bullpen-needy Mets are no exception. Whether it’s Billy Eppler, David Stearns, or the most outrageous Mets fan you follow on Twitter calling the shots (only if Steve Cohen completely loses his mind) then Hicks is worth a gander. His age and abilities make him too irresistible not to look at.