Why José Siri could be a really important piece in 2025

Plus, Sean Manaea received Cy Young voting and Francisco Lindor will find out his NL MVP fate tonight. Plus, doing a deep dive into the Jose Siri trade...

What’s Up with the Mets? 🍎

• LHP Sean Manaea finished tied for 11th in National League Cy Young voting, receiving one fifth-place vote. Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler came second, while Braves lefty Chris Sale finished first

• The MVP Awards will be announced on Thursday night, with SS Francisco Lindor hoping to be named the NL Most Valuable Player over the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and Arizona’s Ketel Marte

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The Juan Soto Sweepstakes ♨️

Jason Szenes - New York Post

• Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy confirmed that his team are firmly in the Juan Soto sweepstakes, making clear that the Sox have “a sense of extreme urgency internally” to be competitive in 2025 (SNY) - Nov. 20

• Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner revealed that he had a “very honest” meeting with Juan Soto, but has “no idea” if the superstar will return to the Bronx (NY Post) - Nov. 20

• Juan Soto ending up with the Mets this winter is seen as the “most likely scenario” according to one prominent insider (Rosenthal) - Nov. 19

• The Dodgers reportedly met with Juan Soto on Tuesday (Feinsand) – Nov. 19

• The Phillies haven’t met with Juan Soto yet, but they plan to (Heyman) – Nov. 19

• The Mets are willing to bid $50 million over whoever is the highest bidder for Juan Soto (YES Network) – Nov. 18

• The Yankees met with Scott Boras and Juan Soto on Monday, and now the Dodgers are expected to meet with him (New York Post) – Nov. 18

• Mets owner Steve Cohen, president of baseball operations David Stearns, and manager Carlos Mendoza met with Scott Boras and Juan Soto on Saturday in Newport Beach, CA (New York Post) – Nov. 16

  • The Mets came away “hopeful” and perhaps “optimistic” of their chances of being able to sign Soto

  • They remain viewed as one of the favorites to sign Soto, as the meeting went very well

• Someone would have to blow Juan Soto away with an offer to pry him from the Yankees, who could sign before the Winter Meetings (SNY) – Nov. 12

• Francisco Lindor has taken a role in the club’s pursuit of free agent superstar Juan Soto (ESPN) – Nov. 12

• Soto is eying a $700 million contract in free agency (Heyman) – Oct. 31

• After the Yankees lost Game 5 of the World Series, Soto told reporters all 30 clubs will be in play for his free agency this winter (watch) – Oct. 30

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Rumor Mill 💨

• The Cubs are in on pitching this winter and LHP Max Fried could be an option (New York Post)

• RHP Roki Sasaki, who could be the best pitcher available this offseason, is expected to be a part of the 2025 international amateur signing class and, as such, likely won’t be able to sign with a team before Jan. 15 (The Athletic)

• The Brewers’ Devin Williams, the Cardinals’ Ryan Helsley and the Nationals’ Kyle Finnegan are three closers who could be available via trade this offseason (MLB Network)

• The Dodgers have real interest in LHP Blake Snell, and could go after both Roki Sasaki and one of the top pitchers available on the open market (New York Post)

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Jose Siri trade could be a sneaky but important piece of business… ✍️

USA Today Sports

While the entire baseball world remains on Juan Soto watch, the Mets made a move which improved both their speed and defense on Tuesday, and one that could prove to be a masterstroke by the end of the 2025 season.

By acquiring outfielder José Siri from the Tampa Bay Rays, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns once again proved that he is one of the smartest executives in the game.

Sure, the trade for Siri won’t exactly cause ripples in baseball circles, and Mets fans will be hoping for much bigger news with Soto and starting pitching high on the team’s priority list this winter.

However, it does feel important to carve out some space for the Siri addition.

This is exactly the kind of move Stearns loves to make - high value players with a low cost. Stearns made a similar move last year when he traded for Tyrone Taylor from the Brewers. It is fair to say that that deal worked out pretty well for the Mets with Taylor proving to be a solid addition in both center and right field.

It is expected Siri will pair with Taylor as part of an elite defensive tandem in center field. Siri will effectively replace Harrison Bader, who is a free agent after one year in Queens. But the trade with the Rays automatically gives the Mets more depth in the outfield, and it makes the center field defense an even more formidable strength than it was last year.

You could now argue that few teams will be better defensively in center field than the Mets in the wake of the Siri addition. And its always important to be strong up the middle.

The 29-year-old is a Gold Glove caliber player and he had 12 defensive runs saved in CF in 2024. He also finished with 16 outs above average, tied for second-most in all of baseball last year. Siri boasts excellent range and can make plays and get to balls that a lot of other center fielders just can’t. Per Statcast, he ranked in the 89th percentile in speed, the 99th percentile in outs above average, and the 97th percentile in arm strength in 2024. Siri’s sheer arm strength and pure speed makes him a must-watch in the field, and he’ll automatically make the Mets a much better defensive team athletically.

Of course, any conversation about Siri has to include the offense. It isn’t a slight to state that Siri is a defense-first player. It is just fact. Especially when you consider that the veteran’s bat regressed in 2024. He hit just .187/.255/.366 with 18 home runs, 47 RBIs and 170 strikeouts in 448 plate appearances for Tampa Bay last season. More alarmingly, perhaps, is the fact that Siri struck out in 38% of his at-bats last year - a career-high. His offensive play also fell off a cliff in the second half of the year, where he hit .158/.212/.315 with six home runs. That precipitous drop-off is somewhat worrisome, especially when you consider that there was no clear reason for the steep decline post All-Star break.

However, on the flip side, Siri is only a year removed from hitting 25 homers and stealing 12 bases in 2023. He’s also one of just six center fielders in the major leagues to have at least 40 home runs and 20 stolen bases over the last two seasons. Plus, when you look at some of the underlying metrics, including the fact that he barreled the ball in the 94th percentile last year, it is feasible to predict that Siri could be in line for an offensive rebound at the plate in 2025.

Furthermore, Siri offers a lot of value on the base running side of things thanks to his blistering speed. Having more speed and athleticism on the base paths was something the Mets needed to address, and Siri should be able to offer a baserunning threat as a pinch-hitter late on in games.

Even at 29-years-old, Siri does possess a lot of tantalizing upside. As I said before, he offers Gold Glove-caliber defense and he will give the Mets an elite defensive presence in center field - something they haven’t really had in a hot minute. If he can fix whatever was hurting his offense in 2024 and get back to a player who can hit 20 home runs and steal 20 stolen bases - which would surpass Bader’s production in Queens last year - then he could morph into a vital depth piece for the Mets in 2025.

All the Mets really need is competence from Siri at the plate. And it seems as though he can only go up from where he was in 2024.

If he can become an everyday center fielder, one that produces stellar defense to go along with consistent and solid offensive output, then that would certainly help a Mets team looking to take that next giant leap in 2025.

Under team control through 2028 and projected to make $2-3 million next year through the arbitration process, Siri is the kind of low risk - high reward player that Stearns loves to take a bet on. If it doesn’t work out, the team still has Taylor and the financial might/flexibility needed to go out and make another move.

But, if this move does pan out, then it could go down as one of the more underrated moves of the entire offseason.

It could serve as additional proof that the Mets really did strike gold in Stearns, who continues to use his high baseball IQ to make smart moves on the margins to improve this team.

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Around the League 🚩

• Tigers ace Tarik Skubal won the American League Cy Young Award, joining Braves southpaw Chris Sale who claimed the award in the National League

• Sen. Dick Durbin intends to introduce the Fair Ball Act, a bill designed to protect minor league baseball players from wage and hour laws exemptions (ESPN)

• The Cubs acquired right-handed reliever Eli Morgan from the Guardians, while designating INF Patrick Wisdom for assignment

• The Rockies re-signed catcher Jacob Stallings to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2026

• MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has stressed the league’s commitment to the Rays, despite the fact that Tampa Bay’s quest for a new ballpark is up in the air again (MLB.com)

• OF Austin Slater agreed to a one-year deal with the White Sox, believed to be worth around $1.75 million