After failing in their pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the New York Mets could be shifting their focus in free agency to a pair of mid-level veteran starting pitchers.
Heading into the offseason the biggest goal for the Mets was to improve their pitching staff. After trading Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander before the 2023 MLB trade deadline, there was a need for not one but multiple reliable starting arms. Yet, you can’t blame them for getting wrapped up in the Yoshinobu Yamamoto chase like many other teams did.
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Unfortunately for New York, they failed in their pursuit of the 25-year-old Japanese star. If there was one player they would have spent big on this offseason it was him, but now with those pursuits in the rearview, the organization is likely going back to their original strategy of bargain shopping in the free agent pitching market.
New York Mets could soon target Shota Imanaga and Lucas Giolito in free agency
Earlier this month they added former New York Yankees ace Luis Severino and they could now be targeting a pair of pitchers at a similar skill and price point. Late last week, SNY reported that veteran Japanese starter Shota Imanaga is expected to start meeting with teams early in the new year. The Mets have been linked to him for weeks and are likely to be one of the organizations aiming to acquire his services.
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However, New York Post MLB insider Mike Puma revealed on Tuesday that the organization is also showing “strong interest” in one-time All-Star Lucas Giolito.
Imanaga does not have the upside of Yamamoto at 30 years old, however, he put up similar numbers to Kodai Senga in Japan and Senga was one of the few positive storylines for the Mets in 2023. Giolito struggled in 2023 playing for the White Sox, Angels and Guardians. However, he has earned double-digit wins in five seasons and is a proven and rock-solid innings eater who would come at an affordable rate.
