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.

2) The NY Mets passed on Andrew Chafin again this offseason

What did Andrew Chafin ever do to the Mets? Billy Eppler gave him the cold shoulder in two consecutive offseasons. Does he have a thing against bushy mustaches?

Chafin signed last winter with the Detroit Tigers and was a great fit for the Mets at the trade deadline. Yet again, no dice. This winter, Chafin signed a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks that will pay him $5.5 million in 2023 with an incentive bonus that can help it reach $6.5 million. There is a team option for the 2024 season at $7.25 million.

In English: it’s not a bad contract and something the Mets should have gone out and done.

There is one spot in the Mets bullpen that feels like it could be utilized on a left-handed veteran reliever. Even if the team prefers to have optional arms, there are two spots left where they could swap out players with minor leaguers. With relievers prone to get injured as well, it could never hurt to have an extra experienced arm waiting to help finish off a game.

The Mets will, instead, rely heavily on Brooks Raley for those big outs against left-handed hitters. Joey Lucchesi could always fit in nicely in a similar traditional lefty reliever role. Beyond them, the Mets employ players who may never touch the 40-man roster.

4) The NY Mets should have offered a little more for Andrew McCutchen

I’m beginning to think Billy Eppler just doesn’t like Andrews. Andrew McCutchen is one of those Andrews the Mets didn’t end up signing. There is a reasonable explanation for it, but something could have probably been done about it.

Prior to signing Tommy Pham, the Mets were in on McCutchen. The 2013 NL MVP returned to the Pittsburgh Pirates on a one-year deal worth $5 million. Likely the last contract he’ll get, missing out on him is mostly about two things he’d bring with him to Queens.

McCutchen’s numbers are way down in recent years but the power is present. He hit 27 home runs back in 2021 with the Philadelphia Phillies. Even last season with the Milwaukee Brewers he managed to work on his home run trot regularly. He added 17 more to his now 200+ in his career.

The problem with signing McCutchen is the amount of playing time he would have gotten. As a fourth outfielder, McCutchen would have started on rare occasions. He could have been a strong platoon partner of Daniel Vogelbach and strong supplement for Mark Canha in left field.

Instead, McCutchen will ride out this season with the Pirates. In July, the team will ask if it’s okay if they trade him to a contender. McCutchen would be wise to accept a deal to the Mets or anyone else in the playoff race. One thing he hasn’t done is win a World Series. In fact, McCutchen’s teams haven’t made it beyond the Divisional Series. Would a few million more bucks have made the difference?

5) The NY Mets have moved on from Zack Britton and for good reason

It’s not because the Mets had another former reliever of Buck Showalter, Mychal Givens, that has me and many others questioning the interest in Zack Britton. He has barely pitched over the last two years. Add in the shortened 2020 campaign and this is a once great reliever whose arm may have gone cold during these recent injured seasons.

Signing Britton would have come with the same disadvantage as inking Chafin in the way that neither would have minor league options. Britton would cost less so DFA’ing him could make sense if things didn’t work out. What if the Mets just needed a fresh arm? Chafin would have been the guy to get instead.

Britton may be holding out to receive a major league contract before signing anywhere. He definitely could be a fit for the Mets or someone else on a minor league deal. At least then you could go into the regular season with him proving himself on the farm. A major league deal feels too risky for a team like the Mets who cannot afford to make such a big roster mistake.

Even if it means having just one lefty consistently in the bullpen this year, Britton was not the guy to go out and guy. We’re grateful the team seems to have moved on.