MLB hot stove remains lukewarm this offseason
MLB hot stove remains lukewarm this offseason
The Mets so far have remained quiet this offseason, although rumors continue to swirl about their interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto
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Yoshinobu Yamamoto will begin meeting with interested teams this week, and will then narrow the list from there for in-person visits later this month (SNY)
Francisco Alvarez defeated Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in a Home Run Derby held in Puerto Rico (Michael Mayer)
Ronny Mauricio is expected to join the Tigres del Licey Dominican Winter League team soon (Michael Mayer)
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The hot stove is still percolation, but all of the big action still awaits… ✍️
Despite several stars available, namely Shohei Ohtani, the hot stove has been lukewarm at best so far this offseason. Two years ago the Mets went on a spending spree on Black Friday signing Starling Marte, Mark Canha, and Eduardo Escobar all within the span of a few hours.
Of course, that was in anticipation of a lockout, which of course lasted well into February.
So far no team, including the Mets, has been willing to ignite the hot stove this season. Aaron Nola signed the largest contract of the offseason so far by signing a seven-year deal worth $172 million to return to the Phillies.
The good news for the Mets is there is still plenty of talent to find on the free agent market, including Ohtani, and now that the Thanksgiving holiday is over perhaps things will start to pick up across the league.
The GM meetings got cut short earlier in the month due to a virus spreading among attendees which also might’ve led to the quiet market but perhaps were are seeing a shift in philosophy in the Mets front office as well.
Billy Eppler was aggressive during his tenure during the offseason and more gun shy at the Trade Deadline, where Stearns has revealed himself to be more patient. The Mets have not been linked to many free agents outside of Yoshinobu Yamamoto so it is even hard to gauge what their plan is.
The Mets currently have quite a few holes on their roster - from pitching to the lineup - that Stearns will have to address if the team is going to compete in 2024. And his priority will obviously be on the pitching staff which not only has more holes to fill, but more value in the marketplace to fill them than other areas of the roster.
Patience is a virtue and fans will have to now wait and see if Eppler’s aggressiveness or Stearns’s patience will pay off in the long run.
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Kenta Maeda and the Tigers agreed to a two-year deal worth $24 million