Getty Despite missing out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Mets aren't done looking for rotation upgrades via free agency.
The New York Mets pulled out all the stops in their recruitment of Yoshinobu Yamamoto. A crew traveled to Japan to meet with the hurler in person before they dined at team owner Steve Cohen’s house in Connecticut. They also offered the same $325 million guarantee he received from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
However, it wasn’t enough to bring him to Queens. President of baseball operations David Stearns has made a couple of acquisitions this winter to supplement the rotation. One was signing Luis Severino to a one-year deal and another was acquiring Adrian Houser via trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.
It seems like they’re not totally done yet, according to a January 3 report from MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. While discussing the top of the starting rotation market, he said New York is interested in two of the three best remaining hurlers. This trio includes Blake Snell, Shōta Imanaga and Jordan Montgomery.
Those were all the details Feinsand shared, leaving an element of mystery as to which pitchers the Amazins are currently pursuing.
Which Free-Agent Pitchers Are the Mets Interested In?
On December 4, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman mentioned Snell as being a “potential” Yamamoto backup for the Mets. However, that was refuted on December 16 by The Athletic’s Will Sammon.
He said New York wasn’t planning on pursuing other top-tier free agents if Yamamoto didn’t work out. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo said the same thing on December 22, noting specifically that Snell and Montgomery wouldn’t be options. But if Stearns and Co. are pursuing two of these three hurlers, one of Snell or Montgomery needs to be included.
The Mets haven’t been seriously connected to Snell in the rumor mill recently. Since the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner is projected to get the largest contract of this trio, it wouldn’t be outrageous to think the pair of pitchers Stearns is most interested in are Montgomery and Imanaga.
At the outset of free agency on November 6, MLB Trade Rumors predicted the following contracts for this group of pitchers:
- Snell: seven years, $200 million
- Montgomery: six years, $150 million
- Imanaga: five years, $85 million
Heyman reported on December 14 that Montgomery’s camp is using Carlos Rodon’s six-year, $162 million contract with the New York Yankees as a bargaining ploy. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Jeff Passan said on January 3 that Imanaga’s asking price could crest over the $100 million mark.
Nothing listed above would be a cheap expenditure. However, it seems like there’s a decent chance Montgomery and Imanaga could be the two hurlers New York is most interested in.
A Look at the Mets’ Current Rotation Mix
As mentioned previously, Stearns has added arms to the Mets’ 2024 rotation mix. Based on the caliber and recent track record of those arms, though, it’s not surprising they’re still investigating options via free agency.
Kodai Senga had an excellent rookie season. He posted a 2.98 ERA in 166.1 innings and finished seventh in NL Cy Young Award voting. Jose Quintana was also solid in an abbreviated sample, twirling a 3.57 ERA in 75.1 innings.
It gets a little dicey after that. FanGraphs’ Roster Resource has the remainder of New York’s rotation occupied by Severino, Houser and Tylor Megill.
Severino is looking to bounce back. He struggled to a 6.65 ERA in 89.1 innings for the Yankees in 2023. Houser is a solid backend starter who posted a 4.12 ERA in 111.1 innings for Milwaukee last season. Meanwhile, Megill dealt with his own struggles in 2023, which included time in the minor leagues.
David Peterson also got sent to the minors, but he’ll miss the start of 2024 after undergoing offseason hip surgery. Jose Butto, Joey Lucchesi and Mike Vasil all provide some depth. But as the adage goes, you can never have too much pitching. New York ran out 10 different pitchers to start a game last season.
Stearns and his front office may not be as aggressive with remaining free-agent hurlers as they were with Yamamoto. But, it doesn’t seem like they’re just going to watch the ones who are still available sign elsewhere without doing their due diligence.