Mets 2025 In-Depth Review Part 3 (Trades and Free Agents)

Part 1: Mets 2025 Player In-Depth Review Part 1 (Pitchers) : r/NewYorkMets

Part 2: Mets 2025 Player In-Depth Review Part 2 (Position Players) : r/NewYorkMets

The third and final part of this series will subjectively discuss the Mets current free agents, who they should bring back and bring in, as well as some players the Mets could and should trade for. First, the Mets’ primary holes to address should be listed. In no particular order…

1.     Improve defense. Although the exact rankings change depending on what is valued most, according to Fangraphs, the Mets were, at best, average on defense. In most ways, however, the Mets were below average in terms of range, fielding run value, and outs above average. Soto and Taylor have good arms in the outfield, Lindor’s defense speaks for itself, Baty has a solid glove, and scooping bad throws at first base is the one defensive aspect Pete does very well, but everything else needs to be tightened up to sure up our pitching and not give up runs due to avoidable mistakes (Major League Leaderboards – 2025 – Fielding | FanGraphs Baseball.)

 

2.     Shore up the pitching depth. Pretty self-explanatory. The Mets had a lot of injuries to the pitching staff, which ended up killing them. This is not just about finding the best pitchers on the market and paying them but rather going through what each pitching target does best and picking up hidden gems to sure up the depth and give opponents as many different looks as possible.

 

3.     Improve the hitting with runners in scoring position. The Mets have had problems with this on and off for years now. It is difficult to specifically find players with a ‘clutch’ gene, but finding guys who hit decently with two strikes, consistently force deep counts, and foul off lots of pitches fairly consistently can go a long way in helping the Mets win extra games.

 

4.     Find an ace. With respect to Senga and our young pitchers who are finding their footing, the Mets need to find a healthy and reliable ace. As mentioned in part one, Senga’s health and weaknesses could indicate that he is more of a number two or three starter rather than a full-time ace. Instead of forcing Senga to be the ace, why not go after a proven ace? It will certainly not be cheap, but for valuable players, you have to go for it sometimes.

 

5.     Find a full-time center fielder. Taylor is solid as a fourth outfielder, but Taylor being the full-time center fielder just does not cut it. The bat is not good enough, even if the defense at base running skills is apparent. The center field market is top heavy, but with Cohen’s money, the Mets should always be in the running for the top guys available.

 

6.     Figure out the third base situation. Vientos, Baty, and Mauricio all vying for the third base spot is bizarre and does not fit with the Mets current timeline at all. Moving Vientos to DH makes sense, but where does that leave Baty and Mauricio?

 

7.     Shakeup? Some guys have been on this team for a while, and regression is something to watch for. Nimmo and McNeil come to mind but finding clear answers to who can replace them and give better production is arduous. You need apparent reasons to move players because moving them just for the sake of changing things up does not make sense.

Those are the Mets obvious questions and needs. Now, the Mets current free agents will be gone over, starting with the pitchers using Spotrac to organize the players and to articulate a rough market value in terms of annual average value (AAV.)

Pitchers (10 FAs):

Edwin Diaz – No brainer. Bring him back and do not overthink this. Diaz was our best pitcher last year, and even when he is not at his best, he makes our bullpen much better. There is no reason to let him walk outside of injury or regression concerns. You are not going to find closers, or even pitchers of Diaz’s caliber easily, so just pay him and be done with it.

Ryan Helsley – He was very rough with us after the Mets got him at the deadline, but like with lots of the other pitchers, a bounce back is not out of the realm of possibility. The upside is definitely there, so bringing Helsley back on a 2–3-year deal worth 13.65-17.5 million per does not sound too insane.

Tyler Rogers – Good Savant numbers, and submariners are exceedingly rare, so bringing Taylor back on a 1–2-year deal worth 11.5-14.5 million per sounds reasonable.

Gregory Soto – Solid Savant numbers, but the fastball was bad despite the good breaking pitches. The xERA (3.80 versus an actual ERA of 4.18) works in Soto’s favor, but it is unclear if the Mets will bring him back. If he does come back, it will probably be on a 1–2-year deal worth around 7-9 million per.

Frankie Montas – He has a player option that he will likely take, but it might be in the Mets best interest to let him go and cut losses. The Mets need quality depth, and Montas’s Savant numbers are not good at all.

Griffin Canning – Best wishes to Montas and Canning in recovering from their injuries, but the Mets need to aim higher and find reliable guys to insert as long relievers, spot starters, or end of rotation guys.

Ryne Stanek – Still has his fastball and can cause chasing and whiffing, but everything else is bad. The Mets should look elsewhere.

Brooks Raley – Getting older, but still highly effective. Mets should take his club option.

Drew Smith – Has a club option, so maybe the Mets bet on him coming back strong, but him being let go would not be surprising.

A.J. Minter – Still has solid Savant numbers on a small sample size but is coming back from injury. Minter will likely take his player option.

Position players (4 FAs):

Pete Alonso – Bring him back and do not overthink this. Boras is a pain, but Pete’s production and consistency is hard to beat. There is alternative first basemen available, but the only one that’s clearly better than Pete (Vlad jr.) was extended by Toronto earlier this year. Naylor is not a bad option, but Pete is still preferable.

Starling Marte – It seems that he is going to retire, so not much to say other than that we all appreciate Marte’s time as a Met.

Cedric Mullins – Unless the Mets are counting on a significant bounce back, Mullins does not seem worth it. As mentioned in part two, the Mets did not always put him in the best position to succeed, but that does not change how much he struggled.

Jesse Winker – Winker has to return from injury, but the Mets bringing Winker back as a bench bat could work. His walk, chase, and hard-hit numbers still look good. A 1-year, 7–8-million-dollar deal sounds reasonable.

Now let us get to the real meat, which is discussing the available free agents or trade candidates that the Mets could bring in.

Starting pitchers:

Framber Valdez – Has a solid track record, but this past season was not without drama for Valdez. The Savant numbers, while certainly not bad, also do not look up to snuff for someone who will likely want an ace-type deal (Framber Valdez Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.) With Valdez close to thirty-two years-old, and with him likely wanting a multi-year deal worth over one hundred million dollars, the Mets might want to look elsewhere.

Shota Imanaga – Has an interesting option with the Cubs, but the Cubs would be nuts to let him walk. Mets should be all over this if he somehow becomes available, but hopes are not high.

Freddy Peralta – Peralta has a connection with Stearns, and while he does have a club option, there are rumors that the Brewers are considering trading him (Brewers Expected To Consider Trading Freddy Peralta – MLB Trade Rumors.) Milwaukee would be making a mistake, but if he is available, the Mets should obviously explore the possibility.

Ranger Suarez – Suarez just had his best season, and Philly is in a strange spot regarding its contention window. The Savant numbers look good (Ranger Suárez Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com,) and the Mets could use a very good lefty starter, but there’s another, higher tier option who will be discussed later.

Dylan Cease – Good Savant numbers, and San Diego is also in a weird spot. Cease has also never hit the 200 innings mark in a season over his career (Dylan Cease | MLB Contracts & Salaries | Spotrac.com.) With this said, he would be a very solid addition (Dylan Cease Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.)

Shane Bieber – Has a player option and is coming off an injury. The Savant stats (Shane Bieber Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com) do not look great, but Bieber has talent and pedigree to come back strong. Intriguing, but the Mets might want to look for less risky options if possible.

Michael King – Only pitched half the season last year and has a mutual option with San Diego. Seems unlikely that San Diego lets both King and Cease walk.

Chris Sale – If the Braves decide to decline his club option for whatever reason, the Mets should absolutely go for Sale, despite his age and injury history. The Savant numbers still look outstanding (Chris Sale Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com,) but the Braves are almost certainly going to accept the club option.

Lucas Giolito – Mutual option with Boston, and the Savant numbers are not good (Lucas Giolito Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.) Mets should look elsewhere.

Zac Gallen – The talent is there, but the Savant numbers are iffy (Zac Gallen Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.)

Brandon Woodruff – Doubt that Milwaukee rejects his mutual option.

Zach Eflin – Mets should aim higher. The walk and chase percentages are elite, but everything else is average to well below average (Zach Eflin Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.)

Merrill Kelly – Older, but still effective. The chase % is still elite, but all the other Savant numbers are concerning outside of the solid walk percentage (Merrill Kelly Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.) It might not be a terrible idea to get him, but it should also not be the number one priority.

Chris Bassitt – Nobody is clamoring for a reunion, and while the Savant numbers look decent, the Mets should aim higher (Chris Bassitt Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.)

Summary:

The starting pitcher market has some intriguing options, but the Mets most clear route of getting a true ace is through trades. If Skubal is truly available, the Mets have to go for him. It would cost a lot of good prospects, but the Mets window makes more sense for Skubal than with waiting for prospects to develop. Quality depth can be signed, but there are not a ton of sure things.

Relief pitchers:

Outside of bringing back our own guys, there does not seem to be any obvious upgrades or additions that make sense. Stearns’s specialty seems to be the bullpen, so he could make some odd pieces work, but one should not just rely on odd pieces.

With that said, Angel Pagan (Emilio Pagán Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com,) Seranthony Dominguez (Emilio Pagán Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com,) Kyle Finnegan (Kyle Finnegan Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com,) Luke Weaver (Luke Weaver Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com,) or Raisel Iglesias (Raisel Iglesias Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com) would be good adds. Relievers are always extremely volatile, so unless it is somebody of Diaz’s caliber, the Mets should not give expensive long-term deals to relievers.

Catcher:

The Mets catching tandem of Alvarez and Torrens is good, and there are no available catchers who would be an upgrade over either. Contreras and Perez have club options, and neither Milwaukee nor Kansas City are likely to decline the options. Perez is too old to catch consistently anyway. Same with Realmuto. Mets should stay with what they have.

First base:

Again, just bring back Pete and lock down first base for a long time. Bellinger and Naylor are the only two acceptable replacements, but Bellinger would fit nicely in another, more critical position for us.

Second base:

Jorge Polanco would be an interesting addition, but he is really bad defensively, and it is unclear if he would be enough of an upgrade over McNeil to justify paying him a ton (Jorge Polanco Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.) Arraez should not play anywhere but first base, and while he has an interesting skill set, the Mets do not have a clear spot for him (Luis Arraez Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.) Gleyber would also be an interesting addition with good potential upside, but again, there is no clear spot for him unless we trade a major leaguer or two (Gleyber Torres Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.) Also, the defense would be a downgrade, which is what the Mets do not need.

Shortstop:

The Mets already, at worst, have the 2^nd or 3^rd worst shortstop in baseball, and that is me being a bit harsh towards Lindor. Any shortstop we bring in would be moved to second or third base. Trevor Story has an opt out he could go with, and while he had a nice bounce back year in Boston, the Savant numbers are more suspect that one would like (Trevor Story Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.) Bichette would be a solid bat, but the defense is woeful (Bo Bichette Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com,) and Castro (Willi Castro Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com) and Rengifo (Willi Castro Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com) do not have outstanding Savant statistics. Just stay with Lindor until the wheels fall off.

Third base:

Third base highly depends on how the Mets view Baty, Vientos, and Mauricio. Baty looks like he will start at third next season, while Vientos will primarily DH and occasionally play third. This leaves Mauricio as the odd one out, and it would not be surprising if he got shipped somewhere else due to there being no room for him.

With this said, Alex Bregman is a hard guy to pass up on. The Mets have had connections to him in the past, and he would be a huge upgrade at either third or second base (Alex Bregman Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.) While it might seem odd for the Mets to spend vast amounts of money on another free agent so soon after Soto, Cohen being the owner makes things more interesting.

Basically, if the Mets decide to stick with Baty and Vientos, then bringing in Bregman does not make sense. However, if one or both of Baty and Vientos get traded, then bringing in Bregman makes a lot of sense, especially for around 29-35 million per year.

Left field:

Many in the media have pointed to Queens as a solid landing spot for Kyle Schwarber, and it does make sense on the surface. Schwarber is a reliable power hitting DH who just had his best season, and the Mets would have an opportunity to get him away from a division rival in Philly. The Savant numbers mostly look great, too (Kyle Schwarber Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.)

At the same time, getting Schwarber is not as much of an easy call as many think. Schwarber would have to be a DH no matter what. If he plays in the outfield at all, then the sky might fall. While Schwarber at DH would be an upgrade, it is unclear if he would be a big enough upgrade to justify paying him a ton of money over other needs unless Cohen is completely on-board with going over the luxury thresholds no matter what with a possible lockout coming in 2027. On top of that, with how things look right now, the chances of the next collective bargaining agreement having a salary cap are low, but not zero. The Mets will have to keep that in mind so they can prepare for the scenario of a salary cap. Besides Schwarber, no other left fielders stand out.

Center field:

If there is one position the Mets should look to make a splash outside of getting an ace, it would be on getting a true center fielder. Cody Bellinger would make a great addition to the Mets (Cody Bellinger Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.) He is an asset in all facets of the game, can play all three outfield spots well, has solid speed, and has a high upside bat. The injury risk is something to consider, but Bellinger is talented enough to take the risk.

Besides Bellinger, who may not want to leave the Bronx, there is Luis Robert Jr. (Luis Robert Jr. Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com) and Jarren Duran (Jarren Duran Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.) The Mets would have to trade for either one of them, but both would be upgrades in center field. Robert has potential untapped upside, but he also has injury risks, and Duran might not have the range to play center field in Queens compared to at Fenway in Boston.

The Mets must improve center field somehow, someway. Rolling with Taylor as the full-time guy there for another year feels untenable at this point. The Mets should go for Bellinger, or trade for Robert or Duran as backup plans.

Right field:

Kyle Tucker sits in the same boat as Schwarber for me. Both are fantastic hitters, but the defense just is not there. Also, unless the Mets trade Nimmo, and either move Soto or Tucker to left field, or move Soto or Tucker to DH, then it does not make sense to bring in Tucker no matter how good the bat is. Basically, only go for Tucker or Schwarber if you are going to make some trades to free up space, and can guarantee that the defense will not get even more compromised.

Ryan O’Hearn (Ryan O'Hearn Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com) would be a very solid depth and utility piece to add, but again, there are only so many spots to put guys in, and it seems unlikely that guys would take lesser roles to be on the Mets’ bench no matter what we offer them. Max Kepler (Max Kepler Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com) would be an upgrade, but not much of one, and only if we move Nimmo back to center field, which does not seem smart at this point.

Summary:

Now that the analysis of each position is done, I will summarize/list what the ideal Mets off-season looks like to me.

1.     Bring back Alonso and Diaz and lock down the first base and closer spots for the near future. Even if you trade assets, there are no clear upgrades over either, and those assets can be better used elsewhere.

 

2.     Trade for Skubal, and/or bring in Valdez, Suarez, or Gallen (assuming someone like a Sale gets their club option accepted.) The Mets need a clear ace and rotation help in general, and we do not want to force any one of McClean, Sproat, or Tong to pitch in the majors if they are not ready or start struggling. We can eat the money on Montas and cut our losses.

 

3.     Bring back Helsley, Rogers, Raley, and/or Soto for the bullpen. For the most part, the Savant numbers suggest bad luck played a role in the less than stellar results, so betting on any one of them bouncing back does not sound absurd. Mets also do not want to have an even thinner bullpen past Diaz than they already had or may have.

 

4.     Bring back Winker for the bench as an emergency get on base guy. The Mets are going to need all the depth they can get, and if Winker comes back well from his injury, he would be a great on-base guy to have available off the bench if he is willing to accept that role.

 

5.     For position player free agents that were not previously Mets, prioritize going for Bellinger and Bregman. The Mets need a true center fielder badly, and third base is still not a sure thing given Vientos’s regression and the possibility of a regression for Baty. Bregman could also play second base, so moving McNeil to the bench or trading him could be considered as well, but not lightly. Again, we do not want to move guys just for the sake of moving them.

 

6.     As much as we fantasize and speculate about spending big money on the Schwarbers, Bregmans, Tuckers, and so on, we cannot forget that we could also spend the money on getting the best depth possible. This is harder to specify, but if possible, the Mets should try to go after guys like Luis Arraez (great contact guy/backup first baseman,) Paul Goldschmidt (older veteran, but still hits lefties well (.981 Ops against lefties in 168 plate appearances last season Paul Goldschmidt 2025 Batting Splits | Baseball-Reference.com,) Ryan O’Hearn (good positional versatility and a solid bat,) Mike Yastrzemski (cannot really field, but has good on-base numbers Mike Yastrzemski Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com,) and/or Josh Bell (would be a great hitter to bring off the bench Josh Bell Stats: Statcast, Visuals & Advanced Metrics | baseballsavant.com.)

 

The idea would be to overpay a bit for some of these guys so they would take lesser roles to go to the Mets and play when needed. If the Mets want to win the division and compete in the playoffs every year, they need the best depth possible to play in certain situations. Hoping guys will take extra money to take lesser roles may not be realistic, but ideals often are not realistic.

Conclusion:

Thank you all so much for reading my series on the 2025 Mets. The past season was rough for many reasons, but to take an optimistic look at things, the Mets suffered a ton of injuries, had long stretches of terrible play, and yet the team was not eliminated until the last day of the regular season. The Mets should not have even missed the playoffs, and the slow death hurt, but to give them a bit of credit, they stayed limping until game 162, which meant they still had a chance. Missing the playoffs always means missed opportunities, but it is reasonable to think that the Mets have the resources and people in place to recover fast and make a run in 2026. As always, it will take shrewd moves, which are not always the Mets specialty, but Seavers, Wrights, Goodens, Ryans, Sotos, Lindors, Alonsos, Piazzas, Strawberries, Carters, Degroms, and Hernandezs do not come without a bit of luck, which can only be achieved through some level of shrewdness and tact. Citi Field will always be filled up, and at the very least, Cohen is determined to ensure that the Mets are a playoff contender every season. Having a chance each season is something many teams cannot even reach, and the Mets were in that category not too long ago. The opportunity for breaking the championship drought is there, but it is up to the Mets to win it or lose it.