It’s Christmas Day, oh! Let’s talk about the New York Mets for a short while today, either before the kids come up or as you try not to make eye contact with specific family members. With good reason, this piece was released on Christmas morning at six a.m. I hope today goes well for you.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s first choice to start the holiday weekend. The good news is that we always have the future to look forward to, even if it destroys the festive spirit.
In contrast to Scrooge, who had a lot of headstones in his Christmas future, ours might entail the Mets acquiring a few elite free agents who are starting pitchers. To help keep us joyful this holiday season, let’s examine some of those future alternatives and get some eggnog mixed with our morning coffee into our systems. Let’s actually rank them.
5) Gerrit Cole
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This one needs an asterisk because, to be honest, it’s a little too optimistic to think Gerrit Cole will start the opt-out process before joining the Mets. Regarding free agents, the two ball clubs have recently had good success together. It’s reasonable to expect a bidding battle between the Mets and Yankees for Juan Soto, but not with Cole. They’ve had him for a long now. It will resemble getting married to your neighbor’s ex-wife a little more. It’s marrying someone your neighbor dated for a year in Soto’s case.
The Mets shouldn’t sign Cole because of how familiar he seems. Reviving the Max Scherzer/Justin Verlander scheme would entail signing him. If Cole becomes a free agent, his AAV ought to soar even higher. He is that good, though, that he has to be on this ideal Christmas wish list.
Cole is the best in baseball and has been a consistent contender for the Cy Young Award. He will ultimately win the award in 2023. The Bronx hasn’t always been kind to him. Would things be otherwise in Queens?
Even though he should be very tempting, the Mets would be better served by four other free agent starting pitchers.
The Mets shouldn’t sign Cole because of how familiar he seems. Reviving the Max Scherzer/Justin Verlander scheme would entail signing him. If Cole becomes a free agent, his AAV ought to soar even higher. He is that good, though, that he has to be on this ideal Christmas wish list.
Cole is the best in baseball and has been a consistent contender for the Cy Young Award. He will ultimately win the award in 2023. The Bronx hasn’t always been kind to him. Would things be otherwise in Queens?
Even though he should be very tempting, the Mets would be better served by four other free agent starting pitchers.
4) Zack Wheeler
If you’re hoping for a reunion with Zack Wheeler, you should be concerned that the Philadelphia Phillies may extend him before he gets to that point. After moving out of New York, Wheeler has developed into one of the league’s top starters. By the time he left, he was well on his way to demonstrating those skills. But management had a different opinion.
Reiterating how great Wheeler has been for the opposing Phillies is really unnecessary. What’s the point of spoiling Christmas morning? Let’s instead concentrate on the possibilities.
Just before his 35th birthday, Wheeler becomes a free agent, making him much older than Cole, who already seems quite old. With Wheeler, the Mets would be investing in some of those later 30s or maybe early 40s years. Even though he’s with the Phillies and generally healthy, it’s always a worry.
The fact that signing Wheeler would result in a reunion is not very important. He is an excellent pitcher that every club should have on the team. We ought to ask for him as a Christmas present in 2024, barring any more severe indications of a decline.
3) Buehler Walker
Now that I’m a little older, it would be pleasant to remove Walker Buehler from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Dodgers, the defending champions? All we can do is hope not.
In some way, Buehler will be 30 in the summer of 2024. Much of our interest in Buehler will be based on his performance on his super team in 2024, as he will only have 12 starts in 2022 and miss all of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery.
Buehler has a 3.02 ERA and a 46-16 record in his career. In 2021, he had a 16-4 record with a 2.47 ERA during his greatest and most recent complete season. Buehler will be compensated for performances like this one.
His departure from the Dodgers makes him a compelling free agent to consider. He must, of course, first make himself available. Is he going to be allowed to walk? The Dodgers have shown no fear in taking a hard stance on sentimentality. If Walker does depart, they will undoubtedly reload in some way—perhaps through a trade, a new free agent, or a potential promotion.
In the case of free agency, Buehler’s age works to his advantage. After a year to demonstrate his full recovery, he ought to be at the top of everyone’s wish list.
2) Max Fried
Many of these top pitchers appear to be switching from some sort of rival team. That is anticipated. Pitchers on the best teams are the best. Who was aware? For all intents and purposes, this one may be the most enjoyable. For Mets supporters, the Atlanta Braves have been the biggest annoyance of all in recent years. It would be satisfying to sign one of their elite pitchers away. Max Fried can help them make it happen.
“Winner” is the greatest way to characterize Fried. Yes, victories are no longer very important. But what’s amazing is his lifetime 62-26 record and.705 winning percentage. He doesn’t have any overwhelming qualities. Pitchers like Fried thrive when they don’t let home runs or walk batters. The outcomes clearly demonstrate the situation. His 3.03 ERA strengthens the case.
If Fried is not extended by the Braves, he will become available as a lefty who will soon turn 31. The Braves are notable for having extended players early in their careers and less so later. Fried’s free agency is one season away. One shouldn’t anticipate a long-term agreement. Are the Mets going to play?
Though he missed nearly half of the 2023 campaign, Fried finished 8-1 with a 2.55 ERA. Other than using some extra PTO, everything went according to plan. There must be some prejudice toward the recent, just like with any free agent. In order for the Mets to negotiate a deal for Fried, he must also be in good health.
1) Corbin Burnes
Corbin Burnes practically looks destined to join the Mets next winter, as he is easily the greatest match for the team’s starting rotation. Burnes should become available without any extension information from the Milwaukee Brewers, in which case the Mets should bring him over.
Burnes is maybe the pitcher on this list that most Mets supporters will concur is the one to chase. He is one of the younger and more dominant players, even if his tenure in the major leagues is a little shorter than some of these other names.
Over the past three years, Burnes has had some intriguing league-leading stats. When he won the Cy Young award in 2021, he had the greatest ERA. In 2022, he struck out the most. His WHIP was the greatest in the National League during the previous season. What meaning should we assign to this? I interpret this as Burnes having sufficient versatility to rank among baseball’s top pitchers. He has every right to be the pitcher’s Triple Crown winner.
Writing a narrative about a reunion with David Stearns is not difficult. Tyrone Taylor and Adrian Houser were two examples of the players he already demonstrated to us that he might have a propensity to pursue individuals he already knows. Adding Burnes would be the biggest free agent splash of all.