In late March, the most recent Mets free agent miss has the opportunity to become available once more.

Just before Opening Day, the Mets might have another opportunity if they’re still interested.

With Kodai Senga out, the New York Mets will have to assess their depth in the pitching staff much sooner than expected. Many fans are convinced that someone will stand up because there are so many internal choices.

Andy Martino of SNY claims that the Mets were lately pursuing someone else. The veteran Julio Teheran was invited to spring training and signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles, which included a $100,000 signing bonus. It is unconventional to pay more for such an enhancement, as Martino makes clear. Maybe that was all the Orioles needed to outbid the Mets.

The opt-out clause in Teheran’s contract, however, is the crucial detail to remember about this agreement. He is a pitcher to keep an eye on as a potential target for the Mets if they are not happy with their current roster. He is eligible to enter free agency again on March 25.

The Mets’ pursuit of Julio Teheran implies that they might also add another player.

The Mets still have a number of options outside Teheran in the slowly fading free agent market. Martino names two notables: Michael Lorenzen and Mike Clevenger. The Mets have “touched base” with Lorenzen, according to Tim Britton of The Athletic, primarily to maintain a channel of communication in the event that they lose another starter.

And what about everybody else? The issue might lie in the fact that numerous other potential players possess talent on par with that of the Mets current roster.

A minor league deal is still being considered for a pitcher like Eric Lauer, who David Stearns is familiar with from their time together with the Milwaukee Brewers. Once more, he’s closer to what the squad already has than not far behind. After an injury, a pitcher like Jake Odorizzi would probably rather wait for a call.

The front office’s doubts should be the only source of concern for Mets supporters at this time. Of course, it’s a good idea to speak with Lorenzen’s team right away to gain a foothold in the event of an injury. The hopeful presumption going into the season was that there would be some arms available by the time of the All-Star Break, and that the starting pitching depth would be sufficient for the first half of the season.

The starting pitching depth appears secure enough, with Tylor Megill, Joey Lucchesi, Jose Butto, and even Max Kranick to see them through the first two months until maybe Mike Vasil or someone else is ready. The issue is that they lost their ace, and spending money is the only way to fix it.