The Mets’ offseason so far has revolved around their pursuit of Juan Soto and their attempts to restock a pitching staff made up of free agents. Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana on the open market and Luis Severino Already set to sign a three-year, $670,000 contract with the Athletics. New York has signed a response Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes Relatively cheap contract, but the team may consider further strengthening the rotation with a bigger splash.
Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivettaand Jack Flaherty According to Ken Rosenthal and Will Salmon of The Athletic, here are three names the Mets have shown interest in this winter. Re-signing Manaea remains a possibility, and Rosenthal/Salmon noted that the Mets remain open to reuniting with the southpaw.
Montas signed a two-year contract worth $340,000, while the Mets offered Holmes a three-year deal worth $380,000. Given that Eovaldi has a lengthy injury history and is entering his age-35 season, it’s unlikely his next deal will be longer than three years, in line with David Stearns’ preference for offering pitchers short-term deals. method. MLBTR expects Eovaldi to receive a two-year, $44MM deal, though considering how many pitchers have received higher-than-expected paydays this offseason, it’s easy to imagine Eovaldi getting Get more contracts from the Mets or other teams.
Despite his advanced age, Eovaldi remained a very reliable pitcher until 2023, when he had an All-Star season while helping the Rangers win the World Series. Eovaldi entered the 2024 season with a 3.80 ERA, above-average strikeout and walk rates, and his 170 2/3 IP marked the third-highest number of innings in his 13 major league seasons. The right-hander is no stranger to high-pressure championship games in big markets and appears to be a perfect fit for the Mets, who plan to compete for a World Series title in 2025.
Flaherty won a ring with the Dodgers this season, capping off a strong bounce-back season in which he posted a 3.17 ERA in 162 innings with Los Angeles and Detroit. The right-winger will now look to parlay that platform year into a big contract, and since Flaherty just turned 29, he’s also younger than Eovaldi, Manaea (33 in February) and Peavey Tower (32 years old in February) is young. However, it also means Flaherty is looking for a long-term deal, with Rosenthal and Salmon’s deals ranging from four to six years.
MLBTR’s projection is consistent with a five-year, $115MM projection for Flaherty’s next contract. It remains to be seen whether the Mets are willing to meet that price, or whether Stearns is wary of making such a deal to a pitcher who struggled with injuries and inefficiency from 2020-23. That’s not to say the Mets president of baseball operations is completely opposed to long-term contracts, though Stearns’ primary strategy is to find the “next Flaherty,” which is to find promising arms with bounce-back potential.
Given the Mets’ prior familiarity with the veteran left-handed pitcher, re-signing Manaea may be the most comfortable option. There was a lot to like about Manaea’s first season in Queens, and he opted out of the final year of his contract with the Mets (worth $13.5MM) to pursue a bigger deal in free agency. Make the most of your strong season. Interestingly, Rosenthal and Salmon wrote that at least one team interested in Manaea has discussed the possibility of a four-year deal, which would be great for a player of Manaea’s age and age. It’s a bold commitment for a pitcher with a somewhat inconsistent record.
Qualifying offers were also factors in the Mets’ pursuit. Eovaldi and Flaherty do not qualify as QOs and therefore will not receive any compensation for their services. Manaea and Pivetta both turned down qualifying offers from the Mets and Red Sox, so their next team would have to give up some form of draft or international bonus pool capital to sign either pitcher . This won’t be a barrier to the Mets re-signing Manaea as the team won’t have to give up any compensation to re-sign their own player, but signing Pivetta will cost the Mets $1MM in international bonuses plus their The second- and fifth-highest selections in the 2025 draft.
Boston’s decision to issue Pivetta is considered a bit of a surprise, and the additional compensation package may weaken Pivetta’s market to some extent. Pivetta was a durable pitcher whose quality was a secondary indicator, but he was more consistent than great in four-plus seasons with the Red Sox, posting a 4.29 ERA in 633 innings. That resume might not be enough to get the Mets to give up two draft picks and $1MM in the bonus pool, especially since New York might have given up such a bounty if they signed Soto, another eligible free agent. gold. Signing two players who refuse QO would cost the Mets $2MM in capital and their second, third, fifth and sixth-highest picks in the 2025 draft class, so it doesn’t seem like the Mets are going to be there. Soto adds another eligible free agent.
