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3 free agents the Mets should sign ASAP, 2 they should let go somewhere else
It's time for David Stearns to make some moves.
Free agency has finally picked up some steam, but the New York Mets remain as quiet as ever. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is off the board. Other arms they could've been interested in like Lucas Giolito and Frankie Montas have signed elsewhere. Where the Mets go from here and how they plan on being somewhat competitive in 2024 remains to be seen. There's a lot of work David Stearns has to do.
There are still some quality players out there, but options are falling off the board at a rapid pace. The Mets have a bevy of holes to fill, in desperate need of pitching help in both the rotation and bullpen, a DH, and a left fielder at the bare minimum.
While it's important for the Mets to finally get going on some moves before there's nothing left, Stearns has to make the right moves. Here are three targets he should be pursuing and two others who have been linked to the Mets at certain times but don't make much sense.
The Mets should sign Justin Turner ASAP
The Mets need DH help if they want to be competitive. Sure, they can put Mark Vientos there if they want, but they can't claim that they're seriously competing if they put a guy who had a .620 OPS this past season at DH regularly. Justin Turner on the other hand, would be a massive upgrade.
Despite turning 39 years old last month, Turner is one of the best hitters available. He won't fetch a monster contract because of his age, but that doesn't change the fact that he's one of the more productive hitters out there that New York can realistically acquire.
This past season for Boston, the former Met slashed .276/.345/.455 with 23 home runs and 96 RBI. He's the perfect hitter to slot behind Pete Alonso in the heart of the order and not only provide protection, but drive in runs. Turner has been a clutch hitter throughout his career, and can add another run producer that this team desperately needs.
What makes Turner more appealing than a guy like J.D. Martinez is he can play the field if needed. The Mets saw firsthand how limiting it can be to have a DH that can't play the field in Daniel Vogelbach for the last season and a half. Turner saw time at three of the four infield positions, and provides excellent insurance at third base if the Mets need it. He'd be their primary DH, but can play the field if called upon.
In all likelihood, Turner would only be a one-year commitment making him either a key piece to the Mets playoff push in 2024, or a juicy piece for them to part with at the deadline. He makes the most sense out of any free agent that remains.
The Mets should let Gio Urshela go somewhere else
Justin Turner would be signed to be the DH who can also play third base if Brett Baty either gets injured or simply doesn't pan out. If the Mets were to sign Gio Urshela, a player they've expressed interest in, it feels like Baty might not be in their plans for 2024. That'd be a mistake.
It's become abundantly clear that after missing out on Yamamoto, the Mets are planning on playing for 2025 and beyond. That's not to say they won't do anything this offseason, but they're trying to evaluate the pieces they have right now and determine who should stay for the long haul. Baty, a former top prospect, is a player they need to be evaluating.
We know Baty can hit AAA pitching. He's done that the last couple of years now when given the chance. He has not hit MLB pitching at all. This is the season to see if it'll ever happen. The reason an Urshela signing doesn't make sense is he doesn't fit as a DH. He's a fine hitter, but where he really shines is in the field at the hot corner. The Mets should not make Baty a DH even with his defense a question mark as well. At least not now.
Urshela would've made more sense for the Mets before they gave Joey Wendle a MLB deal. Had they done that, he could've been a backup infielder who could play all over the diamond. Signing him now would make him their primary third baseman which is exactly what should not happen. Good player, but doesn't make sense on this team for 2024.
The Mets should sign Hyun-Jin Ryu ASAP
Starting pitching remains a major concern for this Mets team. The additions of Luis Severino and Adrian Houser should help a little, but they still could use another starter to join Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana.
The biggest names on the market are Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. Snell isn't happening because he has the qualifying offer attached, and Montgomery simply doesn't make sense at the price tag he's going to warrant. The Mets could dip to the next tier and sign a guy like Shota Imanaga, but again, it's hard to see them investing what could be a nine-figure deal into a guy they don't view as a game-changer. Yamamoto was that guy, nobody else seems to be.
Lucas Giolito made the most sense as a pitcher with upside that they could rely on to take the ball every fifth day. It's a shame they let him go to Boston. Hyun-Jin Ryu doesn't give the Mets any reliability when it comes to durability, but he does have some upside. That's where the Mets should be looking right now.
He has just two seasons of 30+ starts in his ten-year MLB career, but Ryu has a 3.27 ERA overall. He hasn't stayed healthy much at all, but when he does pitch, he's quite good. He only made 11 starts this past season for Toronto but had a 3.46 ERA.
He's a guy who has finished in the top three in the Cy Young voting twice in the last five years but has also combined to make just 17 starts in the last two seasons. Having him and the oft-injured Severino in the same rotation is a bit worrisome, but the Mets really don't have many other options right now.
Hoping Ryu pans out for a year and either helps the Mets win games or net them a decent prospect at the deadline makes the most sense right now instead of overpaying drastically for a pitcher who probably isn't even much better when the 36-year-old is actually healthy.
The Mets should let Michael A. Taylor go somewhere else
Right now, the Mets have two of their three outfield spots locked in with Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte. If the season started tomorrow, the third spot would go to DJ Stewart or Tyrone Taylor. Instead of just wasting left field, the Mets should search for an upgrade. It should not, however, be Michael A. Taylor, despite their reported interest in him at certain points this offseason.
The trade that got the Mets Tyrone Taylor landed them their fourth outfielder. Tyrone Taylor in that role makes sense, but as a starter he does not. The same can be said about Michael A. Taylor who is a terrific defender but leaves a lot to be desired offensively.
Michael A. Taylor is coming off one of his best offensive seasons, playing everyday for the Twins and hitting 21 home runs. The problem is he had just a 94 OPS+. Taylor in a good year is subpar at the dish, and that's a problem for a Mets team that needs more offensive firepower.
Instead of signing Michael A. Taylor to start in the outfield, the Mets should turn their focus to an offensive-focused outfielder. With Tyrone Taylor here as the fourth outfielder, there's no need for Michael A. Taylor anymore.
The Mets should sign Adam Duvall ASAP
The outfielder the Mets should be turning their attention to is Adam Duvall who makes a whole lot of sense as the team's left fielder. No, he's not as good of a defender as Michael A. Taylor, but he did win a Gold Glove back in 2021. He's more than capable in the field, and provides a big boost offensively.
This past season with the Red Sox, Duvall slashed .247/.303/.531 with 21 home runs and 58 RBI. 21 home runs would be nice in a full season, but Duvall missed substantial time due to injury. He did this in just 92 games. Playing half the time at Fenway Park obviously helps, but Duvall has hit as many as 38 home runs in a season before. He has three seasons of 30+ roundtrippers. He's got tons of pop.
The Mets signing Cody Bellinger would be pretty nice, but he comes with an awful lot of risk and is going to be quite expensive. Even a guy like Teoscar Hernandez would make a lot of sense, but with him reportedly seeking a four-year deal in free agency, it's better for the Mets to stay away.
Duvall wouldn't require a lengthy contract and can be a good short-term solution to their big left field issue. Hopefully Drew Gilbert or perhaps one of Jett WIlliams or Luisangel Acuna can be ready to step into the outfield by the end of the season or in 2025 when Duvall would presumably be gone.
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