3 offseason Mets free agent targets we'll be grateful they didn't sign, 2 we will wish they did

What could have been and what will never be. The New York Mets could always dip their toes into the free agency pool a little more before Opening Day. An injury or a minor league depth piece is not out of the question.

All of the best fits for the Opening Day roster have already signed. Any other transactions we can expect the Mets to make will be more minor. They’re the finishing touches on an already strong ball club.

Looking back at this past offseason and who the team was or wasn’t interested in, a few stand out as ones we’re grateful the team didn’t sign while others still look like upgrades. Excluding Carlos Correa because the tug-of-war on his health makes it understandable why the team did pass, these other five offseason free agents have a more extreme case in one direction or the other.

1) NY Mets fans will be glad they didn’t sign Jameson Taillon

Jameson Taillon got a lot of money from the Chicago Cubs. In fact, he revealed that the Mets gave him the same offer and the Philadelphia Phillies were willing to go slightly higher. MLB executives must see something many of us don’t. A good but not great pitcher, it seems like there were much smarter buys than the four-year deal worth $68 million he eventually did receive.

Taillon was a reported target of the Mets this offseason which would’ve meant the team probably doesn’t have Kodai Senga on their roster right now. Senga ended up with similar money and an extra year. Even better, there are clauses in his contract to protect the team in case of Tommy John Surgery.

Taillon is coming off of a 14-5, 3.91 ERA season with the New York Yankees. Lifetime, he’s 51-35 with a 3.84 ERA. Already 31, it seems like most of his career has been spent discussing how this second-overall pick from 2010 will be a future ace. He was drafted between Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. Certainly not a bust in comparison to many others taken in the first round that same year, he still hasn’t gotten quite to where many believed he could.