SAN ANTONIO — The only multi-year contract the Mets gave to a free agent last winter was a two-year deal worth $28 million to Sean Manaea that contained an opt-out.
Offseason No. 2 in David Stearns’ tenure leading the front office is underway, and it’s almost a given the Mets will be more aggressive in free agency.
It’s a topic Stearns addressed in the aftermath of the team’s loss to the Dodgers in Game 6 of the NLCS.
“We’ve got financial flexibility, and it means that pretty much the entirety of the player universe is potentially accessible to us,” Stearns said. “That’s an enormous opportunity. I envision us taking advantage of that opportunity and being aggressive in certain spaces.”
When the general managers meetings begin Monday, Stearns (with owner Steve Cohen’s checkbook) figures to be busy convening with agents.
A payroll that last season totaled roughly $317 million now sits at about $158 million, with estimated raises for arbitration-eligible players factored.
Dead money from last season to players such as Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and James McCann counts for a significant portion of the money off the books.
“I would expect us to spend some of that, a good portion of that, to complement our team,” Stearns said. “Heading into next year we’re also not going to do anything that hamstrings us in future years and prevents us from continually adding to our core group.”
A look at some of the issues facing Stearns:
The big free agents
Juan Soto is finally available, and the Mets have every reason to pursue the 26-year-old outfielder, who would join Francisco Lindor to give the Mets a second organizational cornerstone.
There’s every reason to believe Soto, in terms of present-day dollars, will eclipse the heavily deferred $700 million contract Shohei Ohtani received last winter.
It was a deal calculated at $437.5 million in present-day value. Soto, because of his age, fits into the same mold as Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whom the Mets pursued last offseason.
Pete Alonso has stated he would like to remain a Met, and Stearns has said he would like to retain the slugging first baseman.
The dance has begun, but will the two sides find common ground on a new contract? Soto and Alonso are both represented by Scott Boras, so that should create an interesting dynamic.
Alex Bregman could be an intriguing option to play third base if the Mets decide to move on from Alonso and use Mark Vientos at first base.
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Rebuild the rotation
Another Boras client (Manaea) opted out from his contract, as expected, and Luis Severino and Jose Quintana are free agents.
Manaea has the highest upside of the group, but the Mets will have to decide just how far they might want to go with the left-hander, who turns 33 before spring training.
Severino stayed healthy for a full season, but was it an aberration? Quintana could be a safe, steady option on a short contract.
Externally, the big names include Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Blake Snell (who opted out from his contract with the Giants).
Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler both helped the Dodgers win the World Series and are now available.
Identifying trade partners
If the Mets sign Soto (or another outfielder such as Anthony Santander), that could leave the team shopping Starling Marte.
Jeff McNeil is another trade candidate dependent on the direction the Mets go with the infield.
But the Mets could also look at smaller deals with teams that have arbitration-eligible players they are looking to shed.
Stearns didn’t have to look too far last winter for such a deal — his former team, the Brewers, traded Tyrone Taylor and Adrian Houser to the Mets for minor league players.
