LAS VEGAS -- The transactions are coming in dribs and drabs now -- a waiver claim here, a Minor League signing there -- but that isn’t liable to continue for long. On Tuesday, the General Managers Meetings will begin at the Aria Resort & Casino. Many around the game expect unique market factors to make this event more of a Hot Stove kickoff than usual. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a major trade or signing take place on the Strip.
Count the Mets among those teams ready to jump into the proceedings. Despite their last-place finish, Mets officials don’t appear interested in a major overhaul like the one they engineered last winter. Instead, the team has a clear mission to improve its pitching staff. Everything else is ancillary.
Here’s a summation of how things look heading into the GM Meetings:
Starting pitching
The Mets are a big-market team in need of starting pitching. Tarik Skubal is the clear best starter available. Ergo, the Mets are interested in Skubal.
It doesn’t take a professional logician to understand that much. The question is how far the Mets might be willing to go in their pursuit of the left-hander. Two years ago, owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns were aligned in their desire to push hard for outfielder Juan Soto, a 26-year-old generational talent who seemed worth just about any price ($765 million, as things turned out). It’s not clear if Cohen and Stearns will feel the same way about Skubal, who’s both older (he’s about to turn 30) and has a history of arm trouble.
In his entire executive career, Stearns has never authorized a nine-figure megadeal to a pitcher. (His previous high was three years and $75 million for Sean Manaea, which hasn’t exactly turned out swimmingly.) Yet this year, there’s a cogent argument that the Mets could be a Skubal away from bona fide World Series contention.
So which side of the debate will carry more weight? Will Cohen and Stearns see eye to eye on it? Will Skubal even have interest in coming to the Mets? Or did his time in Los Angeles make the Dodgers the favorite? Could the Mets swoop in with a creative deal structure, like four or five years at a record-shattering average annual value? Would they go longer? We don't yet know the answers to these questions. The GM Meetings, with Skubal’s agent Scott Boras in attendance, may begin to offer some.
If the Mets don’t land Skubal, they could pivot to the next-best free-agent starters available, Michael King and Clay Holmes. (Freddy Peralta probably isn’t an option, for obvious reasons.) Or the Mets could dip into the high-end trade market for the second consecutive offseason, trying to pry Drew Rasmussen from the Rays or Reid Detmers from the Angels. This year’s market doesn’t contain unlimited options, but it does hold lots of intrigue at the top.
Position players
The Mets have six starting position players written in ink, with uncertainty at first base, second base and DH. The latter position will depend in large part upon what the Mets do at the former two, which, again, isn’t entirely clear.
Frequently, Stearns has harped on the importance of leaving room for rookies to contribute. The easiest spot for him to do so is at second base. Marcus Semien struggled mightily this year, and prospects Jefferson Rojas (No. 1 in the system, No. 68 overall), Mitch Voit (No. 4) and Émilien Pitre (No. 10) could all be ready in the first half of 2027. The Mets also have a fallback option in Brett Baty, who has proven -- at worst -- to be a reasonable placeholder at the position.
The Mets likewise have a solid first-base incumbent in Jared Young, though he’s more of a floor than a ceiling play. If the Mets are to dip into the free-agent or trade markets, first base would be a place for them to do so.
Bullpen
Typically, most teams wait until January to fill out the bulk of their relief corps, with the exception of elite, closer-type pitchers. While the Mets don’t necessarily need one of those, it’s possible the rest of the market could move quicker this year.
Right now, all the Mets know for sure is that Devin Williams will be their closer. Beyond him, the Mets will bring in multiple arms either to supplant or compete with Kodai Senga, Tobias Myers, Nate Lavender, Jefry Yan, Austin Warren and others. It’s not enough depth. The Mets will certainly push for more, but right now, it’s unclear how long that process will take.