While the New York Mets offseason ended quietly without any big moves, it wasn’t for lack of effort. The Mets reportedly made offers for both All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts and shortstop Francisco Lindor this offseason.
According to The New York Post’s Joel Sherman, the Mets made significant efforts this winter to try and land either of MLB’s biggest stars. New York made a huge push to land Lindor and even discussed potential offers with the Red Sox for Betts, before he was ultimately moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Mets saw Betts as the perfect player to both address their need in center field and add an excellent leadoff hitter. New York offered packages build around outfielder J.D. Davis or Brandon Nimmo along with a choice of top prospect Andres Gimenez or Ronny Mauricio.
Unfortunately, he was also under contract for just one more season. Ultimately, the risk of losing him in free agency made trading infielder Jeff McNeil too much in the eyes of the front office. Once McNeil was taken off the table, Boston moved on to other teams.
The Mets viewed Lindor as less of a necessity than Betts, even with the star shortstop under contract for two seasons. Between the financial cost, likely $40-plus million over the next two seasons, New York decided it preferred Amed Rosario as a cheaper option.
Money playing a role in the decisions speaks to complains the fan base has had with owner Fred Wilpon in recent years. Now with the Mets’ sale to Steve Cohen having fallen apart and team ownership staying with the Wilpons, those feeling are likely to remain among fans.