Mets free agents in the playoffs: 1 raising his stock, 1 who needs to do more, 1 quietly executing

The playoffs provide a chance for free agents to piece together their last effort to improve their next contract.

Wild Card Series - New York Mets v Milwaukee Brewers - Game 3
Wild Card Series - New York Mets v Milwaukee Brewers - Game 3 / Patrick McDermott/GettyImages
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Put your thoughts about next year’s New York Mets on hold. A bold series win against the Milwaukee Brewers and a statement comeback versus the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 have them feeling like more than the last time to make it into the playoffs. Team of destiny? You better believe it.

So far we’ve had an abundance of heroes. Not one particular player has stood out most as the team MVP. Guys like Francisco Lindor have done a lot of little things well and had their moments. The Mets are playing like a team more than ever. Included are some impression results from upcoming Mets free agents.

The MLB postseason is young and hopefully not close to over for the Mets. Through 4 games, these three upcoming Mets free agents have three different statuses. One has raised his stock. Another needs to do a bit more. A third has quietly executed.

Mets free agent Jose Quintana has raised his stock most

What a strange year it was for Jose Quintana. It was always difficult to trust him until the final scoreless stretch of the year when no one could get to him. The 35-year-old veteran had barely pitched in the postseason in the past, but two years removed from his last playoff appearance, Quintana came to play on Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Six shutout innings from Quintana kept them alive for Pete Alonso to deliver the big hammer in the ninth. It’s almost forgotten at this point because of how things escalated after he exited.

Quintana is a curious free agent. On the scale of curiosity, he is far more Benjamin Button than he is George. His excellent finish to the year was the baseball equivalent of aging in reverse. By redeeming himself in the playoffs against the Brewers following his short outing where he lost on the previous Saturday, Quintana added to his case for the Mets to bring him back.

Should they, though? There were times this season when Quintana looked bound for the bullpen. We’re grateful for the way he turned things around. Someone should take notice and reward him with a deal. I’d still be timid to invite him back. It’s going to take more outings like his first playoff appearance to completely change my mind

Mets free agent Pete Alonso needs to accomplish more than his one home run

You shouldn’t want the Mets to bring back Pete Alonso just because he hit one of the most important home runs in franchise history. Your opinion of him and his future should more heavily weigh on his already impressive track record of hitting for power on a consistent basis. Replacing him will be difficult for the Mets no matter what direction they go in, whether it’s finding an internal or external first base option.

Alonso’s game-winning smash with the season on the line on Thursday should hopefully be one of several big hits for him in the playoffs. While it doesn’t completely erase the down season he had, it did eliminate the narrative that he cannot come through in the clutch.

Alonso will need to do more at the plate in order for his postseason to matter in free agency. The lone Mets home run of the playoffs came off his bat in dramatic fashion. However, he has just 2 hits and is one of multiple players on the team slumping for much of the playoffs. The Mets offense has been timely, not frequent.

What more does a guy have to do than to send his team to the NLDS? Leading the team with 4 RBI this October, he’s going to need to help the team actually score some runs early and not all bunched up in one inning.

Mets free agent Ryne Stanek has quietly executed in big spots for the team

Four games into the playoffs and the team leader in games pitched is Ryne Stanek? Things must have gone sideways. Not at all, in fact. The seasoned postseason pitcher has pitched three times. The only run he has allowed was a garbage time one against the Phillies when he finished off Game 1 on Saturday.

Stanek’s numbers don’t jump out, possibly because it’s too small to make any big judgments. He has struck out 2 batters, walked one, and allowed just one hit. Avoiding dangerous situations has been the biggest key for him. Carlos Mendoza’s preferred choice for the ninth inning in non-save situations this postseason, his unimpressive regular season ERA of 6.06 as a member of the Mets in a limited 16.1 inning sample size looks much different than the results he’s getting so far. Stanek isn’t close to the 12.7 strikeouts per 9 he had. Getting outs the old-fashioned way with contact has been what has worked for him.

Thoughts of bringing Stanek back for 2025 seemed unreasonable based on the regular season performance. Maybe not anymore? The Mets were rumored to have interest in him before he eventually settled with the Seattle Mariners in free agency. A strong postseason might excuse a more average regular season performance. Of course, he’ll need to be much better than what he was after the trade deadline deal that brought him here.

Either way, Stanek has shown himself to be a reliable postseason pitcher. After struggles from Jose Butto and Phil Maton, his ability to step up in the big situation has been undervalued.

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