To this point in the offseason, the New York Mets have focused on adding depth pieces to a number of positions and have yet to hand out a deal guaranteeing a player more than one year. Of course, that will certainly change before the offseason is over as they still look to add starting pitching, relievers, outfielder, DH, and probably more depth at third base now given the significant injury to Ronny Mauricio.
With the signing of reliever Jorge López becoming official, the Mets’ 40-man roster sits at 35 players currently.
Let’s take a quick look at the players David Stearns has added to the Mets organization so far in his first offseason as the top decision-maker in Queens.
Photo by Roberto Carlo
Severino was brought in as depth for a rotation that desperately needs it, but it also needs at least one more frontline starter, and the Mets haven’t added that yet. They have been one of the teams involved in the sweepstakes for Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto and have shown interest in Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell as backup options if they miss out on Yamamoto. They’ve also been connected to Lucas Giolito, Shōta Imanaga, and Yariel Rodriguez.
Stearns knew this was a significant area of need in terms of quantity and quality, and to this point, he’s been aggressive in adding arms with low-risk deals.
The Mets also added Cooper Hummel off waivers, and he can play the outfield in addition to being a catcher. The Mets needed depth at the catcher position for the upper minors.
The Mets claimed Short off waivers as the first player addition of the Stearns era, and they gave Wendle a one-year, $2 million deal. As mentioned above, the loss of Mauricio gives the Mets a need for an infielder who has experience at third base with power, preferably.
This might be the position that gets overlooked the most this offseason, as the Mets only have one clear position filled for next year with Brandon Nimmo in center. Starling Marte is a big question mark coming off an injury-filled season, Stearns said the Mets see McNeil as mostly a second baseman for 2024, and DJ Stewart doesn’t have a long track record of major league success. They’ve been connected to Michael A. Taylor, though he’s more of a depth piece than a starter.
The Mets haven’t done anything here yet outside of opening up the role by non-tendering Daniel Vogelbach.
I know some Mets are frustrated that the organization hasn’t done more as they watch Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and others go to teams not playing in Flushing, but the free agent market hasn’t seen a ton of movement to this point, and the trade market has been quiet outside of Soto.
The post Players Added by Mets So Far This Offseason first appeared on Metsmerized Online.
