A new report claims that instead of targeting Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, the New York Mets will look to sign another pitcher they faced during the 2024 MLB playoffs.
This will be an interesting next few weeks for the Mets. Last offseason, the club went discount shopping to pay down some of its massive debt. And looked to now to make some big moves. Surprisingly, the team made several savvy moves over the last year and put together a club that reached the NLCS in October.
Now, they have the money and added motivation to improve the roster in a major way. Over the last week, the club has been viewed as one of the top contenders for superstar free agent Juan Soto. However, whether they land the gifted outfielder or not, they have some big holes to fill in the starting rotation.
Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, and Jose Quintana are all free agents this winter. And they won’t be easily replaced since all three made notable contributions in 2024. Over the weekend, the Mets took the first step in rebuilding their rotation when they signed nine-year veteran Frankie Montas.
There has been a lot of speculation that the organization could target big-ticket free agents Corbin Burnes and Max Fried next. However, a new report from New York Post MLB insider Joel Sherman reveals the pitcher they are more likely to target after Montas.
- Frankie Montas stats (2024): 7-11 record, 4.84 ERA, 1.367 WHIP, 148 strikeouts, 150.2 innings pitched
New York Mets eyeing addition of 2-time All-Star Walker Buehler
“During my vacation the past few weeks, a plugged-in agent told me it was his sense that the Mets were not playing at the top of the starting pitching market for Corbin Burnes and Max Fried,” Sherman wrote on Monday.
So, if they are not targeting an elite pitcher on this year’s market, who could the New York Mets look at to fill some of the open spots in their starting rotation? Well, like Montas, he claims the organization is interested in another starter they faced during this year’s playoffs. And that player is Los Angeles Dodgers veteran Walker Buehler.
- Walker Buehler stats (2024): 1-5 record, 5.38 ERA, 1.553 WHIP, 64 strikeouts, 75.1 innings pitched
Buehler pitched in just 75 innings last year after missing all of 2023 following Tommy John Surgery. However, he pitched well down the stretch and came up big in the playoffs. He even closed out the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series.
While he doesn’t have the name value of Burnes of Fried, he is still a two-time All-Star and has excelled in the postseason.