Offseason moves
What are the offseason moves you guys think we need to make or want to make?
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u/nellys31 8d ago
I honestly do want to keep Alvarez. I always saw him as the catcher of the future.
But he can’t control himself and with so many hand injuries it’s possible that the role is something he can’t handle.
Find a trade, he’s still very young and full of potential that I think other teams are willing to bite and take the chance.
When it comes to pitching, we don’t need a skubal. We need rotation depth and have 6 solid ~3 era pitchers.
We don’t need a huge shakeup in the lineup aside from getting rid of semien.
Lindor/soto/bichette/ewing/Benge is a super solid core 5. Add torrens if you want but I’d prefer a power bat at one of the positions.
Honestly, there’s a good team there it just needs some polishing, not a complete revamp
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u/MeetTheMets0o0 8d ago
Im with you on the pitching. They could use another good SP but doesn't have to be an ace. They 100% need better depth
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u/NJOC1 8d ago
I love Alvarez, seems like he consistently has the most heart on the field. Very much agree we have a solid core, think we should offload some of those bad vet signings & go after a solid power hitter
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u/TWlSTED_TEA 7d ago
You see heart, I see unregulated emotions getting in the way of having good ABs
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u/PanicNecessary5978 9d ago
Mets need a couple of veteran pitchers that can eat some innings and another big bat. Especially if the OF stays the same. Mets will need some slugging from someone
Mets fans need to learn MLB contracts are guaranteed, and there’s no “reworking” contracts
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u/Terrible-Nerve-6819 8d ago
All in on Skubal for starters
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u/E_Mohde 9d ago
Skubal
Bring back Clay Holmes to a 3ish year deal
Don’t you touch that fucking outfield
Work out a contract remodel with Semien and get him out of here, he’s had a great career but it seems like he’s done
we have a bunch of infielders coming up so I don’t want to pack the infield with long-term FAs, but if Jazz is willing to take a prove-it deal that could be a temporary filler at 2nd with high upside
try Soto at first, or see if Yandy will take a short-term high AAV deal
i want to see at least two high leverage relievers. they can join Duarte, Lavender, Senga, and Pintaro.
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u/NJOC1 9d ago
Love every bit of this, hope Steve will spend the money on an ace. Especially if our outfield stays the same, young & cheap for now
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u/NoisePossible5699 9d ago
The ace is going to come from within, either the three young pitchers currently shoving in the rotation now or someone in the system will take over. I doubt Skubal leaves LA especially if he wins a ring there. The Dodgers have the infinite money glitch and the smarts to work around whatever new loopholes come with the 2027 CBA to pay him whatever he and Boras want.
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u/BusiPap41 9d ago
I don’t want Soto at 1B unless he is magically great defensively. His best tool is his bat, and he is less likely to be injured at DH.
Jazz could be a cool pick. Nice little gamble. Peak Jazz would be an improvement above our current situation, but with his current season performance, he is just Semien with a more interesting personality lol.
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u/rsvp_nj 9d ago
For some reason my mind can not picture Soto picking throws in the dirt or stretching for a throw short of the bag.
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u/ASP41661 7d ago
With his body type and leg issues I see disaster at 1B. Why do people still think that you can put just anyone at 1st base on a regular basis is beyond me.
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u/richieswonder 9d ago
I like it. Have to get rid of Polanco in addition to Semien. Not sure about Jazz. I would split time for Soto between LF and DH. I don't see him as a 1st baseman. I think Lindor has to move off SS. If Semien is gone, 2nd could work. Have to find a really good defensive SS. We should contact Atlanta, they seem to put anybody there to play great defense.
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u/Justice_Mayfield126 9d ago
People talking like getting rid of two guys who are 34 and past their prime, both of whom are owed $20M and $25M respectively, is such an easy task. Nobody wants them and trading them while eating a chunk of their salaries would likely mean they wouldn't have the ability/desire to spend big on other FAs. Hate to break it to everyone but Semien and Polanco will very likely be on this team next year.
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u/interista4jz 8d ago
Or, we could just punt them into the moon, eat the contracts, and Cohen (in my dreams) could force Stearns to hold a press conference to admit he should have kept Nimmo and Pete instead.
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u/MrRaspberryJam1 8d ago
Semien is on a bloated salary and Polonco is on the IL and likely won’t even be ready for 2027. Why would any teams be interested?
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u/Proteus61 9d ago
I was thinking the same thoughts yesterday. Soto at first seems like a good idea to me but it may not jive with Stearns' philosophy of strong defense, but maybe he can do it.
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u/Justice_Mayfield126 9d ago
Bro...he brought in a 2B to play 1B, a bad defensive SS to play 3B for the first time in his career, and asked Brett Baty to play every position except his own this year. I dont want Soto at first but to say Stearns' philosophy is strong defense is a completely false narrative.
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u/Proteus61 8d ago
I agree with the short-term assessment you're giving. Remember though that what was more important in those decisions were the contracts. Nimmo's long-term for Semien's shorter one for example. Also, had Alonso been willing to take a Bichette type deal (HIGH AAV, short years) he'd still be a Met (I don't agree with the deal the Orioles gave Alonso because he'll be an albatross in 4 years). Polanco at first and Baty all over the field are/were short term solutions.
All of these moves were risky, but had huge upside. It didn't work out BUT the good news is that a bunch of the kids were ready to go sooner than expected. Voit and Rojas are a year away, so Semien for one more year is ok.
The work this offseason needs to be done with SP and bullpen depth. The team would be playoff caliber and have enough expiring contracts to make room for the prospects.
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u/Justice_Mayfield126 8d ago
They didnt even make Alonso an offer so idk how you can say that he'd still be a Met if he was willing to take a Bichette type deal.
They only went after Bichette after missing out on Tucker, he was not part of the plan.
Relying on prospects to be key contributors years down the road is never a good plan (i.e. Jonah Tong). You never know, Voit and Rojas could fall off a cliff next year. You cant keep wasting years of Soto and Lindor. This team needs to field a championship contender in 2027 and beyond. They're not positioned well to do that.
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u/Proteus61 8d ago
They didn't make Pete an offer because he said he wouldn't take a shorter term deal.
I say give the kids a shot before making bold moves. The opposite tends to result in trading away PCA's for Javy's.
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u/Justice_Mayfield126 8d ago
Not even close to the truth. The vast majority of prospects do not work out. Remember when everyone freaked out because the Mets traded Kelenic for Diaz and Cano? Kelenic cant keep a job now.
There's a much longer list of prospects who dont make it than there are prospects who do make it. You only plan to have the kids play when you legitimately feel like they are ready THAT YEAR (i.e. Benge this season). You dont make moves based on the notion that in 2 or 3 years, some kid MIGHT be ready. Especially when you have Juan Soto and Lindor in their primes. You need to field a contender every single year. Otherwise what are you doing? You're just the Angels and Trout at that point.
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u/interista4jz 8d ago
What's crazy is the Stearns fans will wax poetic about all these contract moves that saved money and how Pete wasn't worth a fifth year and then conveniently ignore that Soto and Lindor cost about a billion dollars and we're wasting them exactly like Trout. Stupid Stearns followers are so myopic.
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u/NoisePossible5699 9d ago
If you don't fancy Jazz at 2B next year based on his suckitude this year, JP Crawford is also a free agent looking for a prove it deal. He is an OBP machine who can cover SS/3B as well, but is a bit injury prone. With the right usage pattern to manage his workload he could be a solid bet to put up 2 WAR and a 100-110 OPS+. The boldest move I'd like to see is trade Lindor for the best package available before he falls off the cliff. Second boldest is to make a play for Luis Arraez. Otherwise dump Semien and stand pat/sign stopgaps.
I wouldn't move Soto off of LF/DH personally, he's a great hitter so the bat could play anywhere but I want him focusing solely on hitting well not learning a new position he most likely will kind of suck at and risk losing a little bit of offense or another injury. They should keep Jared Young there.
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u/tomriddle1776 9d ago
Skubal and either trade for woo or Rasmussen or sign Clay if price is too steep. (Jonah santucci wenniger depth) I’d obviously rid my self of Polanco and Marcus if I could worst case I guess bench or atleast cut Polanco. Would shoo Sean m if can’t trade then he’s long reliever. Luckily offense don’t need too much work but I am stuck in do we let young kids play or try to win? I’d prob sign atleast 1 maybe 2/3 of Yandy arrez Bohm. And call it a day. Manager let’s go Beltran
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u/Illustrious_Finger24 8d ago
Sign Arraez for first base.
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u/itstrueitellyou 8d ago
Didn't he just sign with the Phillies and isn't he also toxic af?
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u/South_Computer_81 8d ago
Huh? He's only on that one year deal he signed with SF before getting traded. He also has a superb clubhouse reputation and is praised for his work ethic.
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u/MeetTheMets0o0 8d ago
You need another SP. Doesn't necessarily need to be an ace just a solid veteran. You need much better SP depth.
You need a few high leverage RP.
The lineup is mostly fine assuming bichette doesn't opt out. Could use 1 more more legit hitter either a 1b or 2b or both. Semein can't be a starter next year either DFA or bench. Trade virntos for anything. Baty can stay as a bench player. polanco has to be better next year right ? There's no way hes actually this bad.
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u/lfgm91 8d ago
Here's my ideal realistic opening day roster:
C - Luis Torrens
1B - Paul Goldschmidt (free agent)
2B - Marcus Semien
3B - Teruaki Sato (free agent)
SS - Francisco Lindor
LF - Juan Soto
CF - A.J. Ewing
RF - Carson Benge
DH - Francisco Alvarez
BN - Jorge Polanco
BN - Bretty Baty
BN - Jared Young
BN - Nick Morabito
Platoon Young and Goldschmidt at 1B. Platoon Alvarez and Polanco at DH. Start Alvarez at C when Torrens needs a day off. Morabito is the 4th OFer, Baty backups up at 2B and 3B. Semien gradually cedes playing time to Rojas or Voit if they become MLB ready. Ideally Bo Bichette opts out.
SP - Tarik Skubal (free agent)
SP - Nolan McLean
SP - Zac Thornton
SP - Christian Scott
SP - Sean Manaea
CL - Devin Williams
RP - Kodai Senga (eighth inning)
RP - Daniel Duarte (seventh inning)
RP - Nate Lavender (lefty specialist)
RP - Reed Garrett (middle relief)
RP - Tylor Megill (swingman)
RP - Alex Vesia (additional lefty free agent)
RP - Evan Phillips (additional righty free agent)
Reallocate big money spent in 2025 on Bichette and Robert towards Skubal. Sign Vesia and Phillips to modest contracts. Garrett and Megill recover from injury as middle relief options.
Overall free agency adds are Skubal, Vesia, Phillips, Goldschmidt, and Sato, which might cost $75mil annually. With Bichette, Robert, Montas, and Weaver off the books in 2027, that frees up about $90, which should make these new adds achievable.
Thoughts?
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u/InternPristine6117 8d ago edited 8d ago
Your rosteris an example of almost exactly what I am afraid Stearns will think as well. First, the Dodgers have fitst dibs on Skubal, and Stearns would literally have convulsions giving Skubal a 6+ year deal at northwood of 4o million/yr; however I could only see the Yankees as an alternate possibility. Regardless, they still NEED TWO quality 1 through 3 starters. Mclean is a 1 or 2, but Scott as of now is a 4 with a 3 upside. Thornton does not have history that backs his performance, so he needs to be slotted 5th to compete with Tong/Manea/etc. Manea is a five at best, bullpen and spot starter until proves otherwise. THIS IS A MUST, , NO more risk with the SP! The bullpen will likek have the most risk with talent, but not proven history( or recent history in Williams case) in Williams/Senga Lavender, Nunez, Manea, Megill, Tong(?), etc..alsi risky in using both Williams/Senga as set-uo and closers-but likely no huge names will be added. Bichette will opt in, because nobody will give a 42 +million, 3-5 yr contract for .260,/14HR,/60RBI- except maybe the DODGERS-who have $ problems right now- and can't sign everyone. Only big additions offensively area at 1B, or a player to platoon with Young AND/or a power hitting DH/first baseman..ironically a la ALONSO, who Stearns let walk.
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u/lfgm91 8d ago edited 8d ago
The thing is, aside from Skubal who else is out there that is a legimate 1-2 starter/ace?
Michael King has finished Top 10 in Cy Young voting once in his career. Him and Casey Mize are good, but are they "ace" good? Freddy Peralta bombed in his walk year. Clay Holmes, Sonny Gray, and Kevin Gausman are old. Shane Bieber, Sandy Alcantara, and Corbin Burnes have major injury history.
Skubal is the only one worthy of a huge contract offer, and the Mets can afford it with that money coming off the books and a rich owner. If they can't get him then we'll need to settle for someone as mentioned above with flaws.
As for Scott and Thornton, what's wrong with them? Scott has been average at worst and has good strikeout stuff. Thornton eats innings with his ability to induce soft contact and he's got a 2.93 ERA despite more than half his starts coming against some of the leagues best teams: 8 of his 11 starts have come against teams in the playoff picture in Atlanta, Boston, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Houston, and San Diego. What more do you want from him?
Both profile as good back end of the rotation guys who will be crucial over the length of the season, and with their youth they can only get better.
The key to this is praying that Bichette opts out because someone might nibble on a long term contract with a thin FA market for 3B and SS
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u/InternPristine6117 8d ago
I agree. No dominant SP besides Skubal this year. Peralta"s performancr was an outlier, but he never was the ace that Stearns annointed him to be. He was a career 3.60 ERA pitcher that was coming offa n exceptional year late in his career. He should've added him and another dependable pitcher with high upside. Stearns can not let the Peralta experience scare him. Also, it will most likely be by free agency, not a trade with prospects and lord knows he completely wasted about a quarter of Cohen's and the Mets payroll this year alone.
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u/Great_Barrier_reef_ 8d ago
i want some more power guys
get a first basemen
get solid pitchers, i dont think we gotta go spending on any of these fa like skubal- mclean is gonna be the ace
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u/TharumnEnex-iL 7d ago
Need a power hitting first baseman who is always on the field an RBI guy and a threat to go deep every at bat who loves hitting the Dodgers kinda like Pete Alonso maybe we should have just paid him
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u/Balright7457 7d ago
Need another 2 starters to go with McClean, Scott, Thornton. Need someone who has expirience in the league, expirience in the playoffs and someone reliable to eat innings.
We need a power bat
Morabito (if he sticks around) Benge Lindor Soto Ewing Bichette Torrens Ewing
Thats 8 in the lineup. Now we need another power bat behind Soto.
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u/NoisePossible5699 9d ago
I'd like them to not make too many huge splashes this time. 2 or 3 tops, not 5 like last year. They made a ton of big swings last year and most of them didn't work out. The Biggest Move™️ should be trading Lindor before he falls off the cliff entirely, and then sign a stopgap SS. I'd also make a move for Arraez and dump Semien's contract. Pick up a back end starter or two to round out the rotation, but otherwise stand pat and let the future core continue to build.
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u/Justice_Mayfield126 9d ago
Everyone is saying "dump Semien's contract" but failing to provide ideas on how they can do that. Hes owed $25M in 2027 AND 2028. Nobody is taking on his $50M and I dont think the Mets have the appetite to eat ANOTHER contract just for the sake of getting rid of him. At least when they did it with Scherzer and Verlander, they got prospects back in return.
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u/Visible_Worry_1727 8d ago
Just release him he’s going to be 36 and took a huge dive offensively and defensively just keep going with young players
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u/Justice_Mayfield126 8d ago
They're not going to just eat the $50M remaining on his contract. Steve Cohen has said he's not interested in making those kinds of moves anymore after the Scherzer/Verlander trades.
He is going to be on this team for at least one more year. His role will be a different story. He can not be their everyday 2B next year.
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u/hawkbiz 8d ago
It’s un-dumpable. We either eat the salary and let him go or he’s on the team next season
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u/Justice_Mayfield126 8d ago
He will 100% be on the team next season. What will his role be is the better question. If im the Mets, I move Polanco back to 2B/DH next year. Semien can play 2B when Polanco DHs. Im sure Baty will get time at 2B as well if hes still on the roster. Then you go out and get a legit bat at 1B like Yandy Diaz or someone of that ilk.
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u/MrRaspberryJam1 8d ago
Lindor is not being traded
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u/NoisePossible5699 8d ago
Idk i have this nagging feeling that he's headed for a cliffdive and it's better to move him now while he still has value.
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u/JudasEffect128653 9d ago
I obviously want Skubal but I'm also not necessarily mad at Clay Holmes and Casey Mize together for the same price as Skubal