Yearend Thoughts on Mets’ Free Agents

The Mets finished the 2022 season with the second-best record in franchise history, finishing at 101-61. Obviously, a team doesn’t have many weaknesses if they finish with 100+ wins, but there’s always room for improvement. The main concerns going into the offseason for the Mets were catcher, pitching, maybe a third baseman if they have money, and re-signing the crucial players whose contracts expired. Of course, the Mets also had the mindset that no player is too expensive for them, as owner Steve Cohen showed last year.

Now, to the signings:

The Mets resigned Brandon Nimmo and Edwin Diaz, two pivotal players in the 2022 team, to play in New York for multiple years.

Nimmo is one of the most underrated players in baseball, but also one of the most valuable players on any team. Not many know about him outside of New York but he is probably the best lead-off hitter in baseball right now, not to mention that he actually has great hitting ability outside of just making contact.

Similarly, Diaz is arguably the best closer in all of baseball as well. His walk up song paired with his filthy pitches will shut any close game now. The only thing that scares me about this deal, though, is the length. This deal shows how much the Mets trust Diaz to finish games for them.

Then, they signed two more:

The Mets then went out into free agency to help their starting rotation, signing Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga.

The Mets signed 40-year-old Justin Verlander to a two-year contract, worth $86.6 million. I think this is a great signing, as Verlander showed in Houston that even when he’s 40, he can still be a reliable pitcher. Although, paying two old pitchers $43.3 million each is a little crazy.

I think this is the first time in a while the Mets have signed the best Japanese player in free agency. What’s interesting is that Kodai Senga dominated the NPB but will probably only be the #3 starter for the Mets. He seems like a great option that pushes the Mets to have the best rotation in baseball now.

Finally, the Mets agreed to the biggest free agent signing of their offseason.

Shortstop Carlos Correa is negotiating with the Mets for a 12-year, $315 million contract to most likely play third base. They basically stole Correa from the Giants, after they had agreed to an even bigger deal, but found something on his physical check-up that prevented them from going through with it. Unfortunately, the physical isn’t going as well for the Mets, either. The Mets also found something concerning, and thus postponed the signing of the deal. Correa is a really good hitter hitting .291 and 22 home runs in 2022. He also has a great glove, winning the Gold Glove in 2021.

Another great reason this is a terrific signing is that Correa brings great team chemistry with him, unheard of for a new player. He played with Edwin Diaz and best friend Francisco Lindor on the Puerto Rico National Team and played with Justin Verlander on the Houston Astros. This is the player, but more importantly, the bat, the Mets needed to solidify their lineup to push them past their few weaknesses to hopefully win the World Series next year.