New York Mets to Miss Out on Top Free Agents Due to Key Stance

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The New York Mets are expected to be key players in free agency this winter. New York has already made a significant trade with the Texas Rangers to acquire Marcus Semien for outfielder Brandon Nimmo. They also signed highly-rated free agent reliever Devin Williams to a three-year deal.

These moves are likely to be the tip of the iceberg for the club. While additional deals are expected, the Mets may very well miss out on their top pitching targets. The Athletic’s Will Sammon is reporting that New York prefers not to hand out long-term contracts to starting pitchers. The stance is thought to hinder any potential agreement with the top-tier free agents.

According to the outlet, premier starting pitchers such as Framber Valdez, Tatsuya Imai, and Ranger Suarez are all expected to sign long-term deals in free agency. In fact, the trio is each looking for at least a six-year offer during the offseason. Assuming the Mets stick to their policy, they will likely not be able to entice any of these star pitchers.

Dylan Cease’s recent deal with the Toronto Blue Jays has set the bar for the top starters in free agency. The veteran pitcher inked a seven-year, $210 million contract with the reigning American League champions on December 2.

New York Mets Expected to Target Second-Tiered Starting Pitchers

GettyThe New York Mets’ starting pitching struggled down the stretch of the 2025 season.

The news of New York’s position on attracting starting pitching may not go down well with the fans. Nevertheless, they can still make a significant move to improve on the mound without breaking the bank. The Mets, however, will have to target free agent pitchers in tier two or three.

Michael King, Zac Gallen, and Merrill Kelly would fit in these categories. It remains to be seen exactly what kind of contract these starters are looking for at the moment, but the Mets could attempt to sign one of the three pitchers to shorter deals. Going this route may mean that New York has to offer a higher annual salary, though.

Along with targeting tier-two free agents, the Mets could also choose to improve their pitching via a trade. The future of Detroit Tigers superstar Tarik Skubal has dominated headlines during the winter meetings. However, the reigning Cy Young winner is not expected to be traded just yet. Instead, the Mets may look to move for Freddy Peralta, MacKenzie Gore, or Edward Cabrera.

Team’s Position Could Change if Other Targets are Not Signed

Whether it is in free agency or a trade, New York does need to address their starting pitching. The Mets only had a combined 39 quality starts throughout the entire 2025 season. Only the lowly Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies had fewer in all of baseball. New York’s starters also ranked low in innings pitched per start and pitches per game started.

Although the Mets do not want to give long-term contracts to free agency starting pitchers, this could change if they miss out on their top offensive targets. Kyle Tucker, Kyle Schwarber, and Pete Alonso have all been linked with New York in recent weeks. Nevertheless, if they do not secure any of these sluggers, the Mets may be forced to give a top-tier starter a ton of money to improve the team.

Christopher Moore Christopher Moore has been a Heavy.com contributor since 2025. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he has published thousands of articles reporting on multiple professional sports. He was previously a sports writer for World Soccer Talk, the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and the Maryland Sports Blog. More about Christopher Moore