This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo’s Mets Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

DALLAS -- You may have heard that the Mets came to terms with a certain somebody Sunday night on the largest contract, by far, in Major League history. That Juan Soto deal became official on Wednesday.

Addressing the media Monday afternoon at the Winter Meetings in Dallas, president of baseball operations David Stearns wasn’t authorized to comment on the Soto deal, but he did offer this:

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Stearns said.

It’s an indication that, even with Soto on board, the Mets aren’t stopping. They may not even be slowing down. Some obvious holes still exist on their roster, and thanks to all the dead money that came off it this year, New York still has plenty of room left to spend.

“I think this has the potential to be, for the industry, a pretty active Winter Meetings,” Stearns said. “And that’s a good thing. So we’re having a lot of conversations. We’ll see where it goes, but look, we’ve got a lot of offseason left. We’ve got a chance to continue to make this team better, and that’s where our priority is.”

Stearns can certainly do so in these three areas:

Rotation
The Mets have already accomplished plenty in this arena, signing Frankie Montas to a two-year, $34 million contract and Clay Holmes to a three-year, $38 million pact. Both are expected to be in the Opening Day rotation alongside Kodai Senga and David Peterson.

For those counting, though, that’s only four starting pitchers. And while the Mets have other internal options in Paul Blackburn, Tylor Megill and José Buttó, all three come with large enough question marks that they’re unlikely to be surefire rotation options heading into camp. That means the Mets figure to add one more starter on a guaranteed deal.

Theoretically, it could be Corbin Burnes or Max Fried, the top two pitchers remaining on the market. It could even be a return for popular left-hander Sean Manaea. But Stearns has never loved giving out ultra-long-term deals to pitchers, preferring to find relative bargains on one- and two-year pacts. Some options in that world include Walker Buehler, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney, all of whom should be available for less given their age, their injury history or both.

Then there's the trade market, with Chicago's Garrett Crochet as the centerpiece. Don't count the Mets out of that bidding, despite their general reticence to trade top prospects.

First base
The Mets have one surefire corner infielder already on the roster in Mark Vientos. Although club officials are comfortable with the idea of Vientos at first base, Stearns said Monday that he sees the youngster as a third baseman for now. That makes acquiring a first baseman the priority.

The most prominent option, of course, is Pete Alonso, who needs no introduction around these parts. Signing Soto doesn’t preclude New York from also re-signing Alonso, but he’s also not the only option. The Mets might choose to blow away the field for the next-best first baseman, Christian Walker, who should be available much more cheaply than Alonso. Or they could canvass the trade market for a solution.

No matter what, the Mets must sign someone. The only real question is whether that someone will be Alonso.

Bullpen
While this is a market that tends to unfold more fully in January, some top-flight pieces began to fall this week -- most notably, former Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano to the Phillies for one year and $7.75 million.

While the Mets have already collected a slew of relievers on Minor League deals and waiver claims -- including Génesis Cabrera, Kevin Herget and Rico García -- they’re going to want at least one or two established relievers on Major League deals. As usual, it’s a busy market with plenty of options. The Mets will probably mirror their rotation strategy here, leaning more toward relievers willing to sign on one- or two-year deals.