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00:00When you miss the postseason in New York there's no such thing as a quiet offseason and this one is shaking me up to be a big one for the New York Mets and joining me now from Las Vegas at the GM meetings is New York Post Mets beat reporter Mike Puma who's going to share with me his three bold moves that the Mets need to make this winner. We're going to talk about how realistic those moves are, what they say about the front office's direction and what fans should expect as the hot stove heats up. Mike, what's going on? How you doing?
00:27Dexter, great day. How are you?
00:30I'm good. I'm well. I can't complain at all whatsoever. The offseason is about to heat up. So Mike, as we get started, you have three bold moves that you believe the Mets need to make this offseason. So we're going to talk about them, but share with the people what those three bold moves are.
00:47Well, the first one and you know, I don't know how I would handicap the chances of this happening are but re-sign Pete Alonzo and Edwin Diaz.
00:58And, you know, well, I'll get into it in a minute about why. Second one would be to go out and acquire a frontline starting pitcher. And the third one would be to look to trade from your young controllable players to try and balance out the roster in some other areas.
01:23Okay, Mike. So those are three really good ones. Let's start with the first one that you mentioned, re-sign Pete Alonzo and Edwin Diaz, which I think a lot of Mets fans would like to see.
01:33And you've been adamant, you've wrote about this, that re-signing Alonzo and Diaz should be the Mets' first order of business.
01:39Why do you think that these two deals are so crucial to the franchise's offseason direction?
01:43Well, I think the thing to look at with Alonzo is there's not a lot of that kind of raw power out there on the open market, certainly from the right side.
01:56And that's something they need. This is trending toward becoming a left-handed hitting lineup.
02:04But Alonzo, from the right side, you know, you're going to pencil in 35 to 40 home runs a year from him.
02:11I understand there's questions about his defense, but, you know, you have to look going forward here that he's going to, you know,
02:19his next contract will probably spend most of it as the DH.
02:23But, you know, this is a franchise-type player and anchored to your lineup.
02:29You don't, I don't think you're going to be able to replace Pete Alonzo if he goes elsewhere.
02:37Yeah, that'll be tough. What about Diaz?
02:40Why do you think he's paramount to the direction where they're trying to go this offseason?
02:44Yeah, now Diaz is in a situation where he's 31 years old.
02:48He's, he opted out of his deal that would have covered two more years at $37 million.
02:57So it's probably going to take, you know, I don't think you're going to get him back on a three-year deal.
03:04You're probably, you're probably going to get a four, going to take four years to get him back.
03:10Maybe a fifth, but probably four years.
03:12And I just think that, you know, and listen, that's such a volatile position.
03:16But if you're looking to win here in the next couple of years with this group, Edwin Diaz gives you that best chance.
03:26And if at the back end of that contract, the last couple of years of that deal, he's not anything like the Edwin Diaz we saw this season, so be it.
03:38And even if that means eventually moving him out of the ninth inning role, and who knows if he'll get to that point.
03:45You see, you see guys still doing it at a high level, some of them into their mid and late threes.
03:51Kenley Jansen is certainly an example of that, and Aroldis Chapman.
03:57So, yeah, it's a gamble that you overpay, but, you know, guys like Edwin Diaz don't exactly fall out of trees.
04:04No, they do not, and the Mets would love to bring both of them back.
04:07Fans would love to see both of them back.
04:09Let me just shift back to Alonzo real quick, Mike, because when you look at Alonzo's market, right, contract terms, age, and his role as a face of the franchise,
04:19what's a realistic number the Mets should be willing to offer him to keep him in Queens long term?
04:24We heard earlier in offseason that he and his agent Scott Boris were looking for seven years.
04:29But what do you think is a realistic number that the Mets should be willing to offer him?
04:32Yeah, I'm sure they're going to look for seven, and I think if the Mets, I think if Pete can get five years from the Mets, that's something he should jump at.
04:45You know, five years, maybe a shade under $30 million a year.
04:49Maybe you're talking in the $140 to $150 range, and I think there's a good chance that kind of deal gets it done.
04:58But, you know, yeah, there's, again, there's going to be risk at the back end of that deal.
05:04But I think it's one that would make a lot of sense for both sides.
05:09Now, yeah, seven years, if I were the Mets, I wouldn't touch that.
05:13Maybe somebody's willing to go there.
05:15Maybe the Red Sox are willing to do that or, you know, the Angels, the Rangers.
05:20I don't know.
05:20But if I'm the Mets, I'm certainly willing to go five years to bring back player Pete Alonzo's caliber.
05:28Yeah, seven feels like a little bit too much for him and where he's at in his age.
05:33Just back to Diaz, too, because we saw, you know, I mean, it's been up and down with him and his return from injury,
05:39although he was good most of last year.
05:41How much faith do you think the front office still has in him being their anchor closer?
05:45You just talked about it.
05:46You know, maybe he's not as good on the back end of contracting.
05:49Do they have to protect themselves with bullpen depth in case his velocity or durability fluctuates again?
05:55Yeah, and that's something they'll look to do this offseason.
06:00You know, you've got a few guys coming back.
06:03You've got A.J. Minter.
06:04Now he's coming back from a mostly lost season to injury.
06:10But, you know, you've got a guy like Brazabon who pitched well for you.
06:14But you're going to have to go out and add to that bullpen, but certainly not at the level of an Edwin Diaz.
06:26But, you know, the kind of reliever you're going to look to add, and I'm not saying they're going to bring him back.
06:33Ryan Stanek now had a disappointing season.
06:35But, you know, coming into the season, that looked like a pretty good move, bringing him in to be your eighth inning guy.
06:45Tyler Rodgers, they got at the trade deadline.
06:48Maybe that's somebody you look to re-sign.
06:52Gregory Soto from the left side or another free agent.
06:55So, those are the kind of moves they're going to have to make because they certainly don't have enough in-house right now to consider it a complete bullpen, even if Diaz is back.
07:08Yeah.
07:09No, that's something they're definitely going to have to consider.
07:11Okay.
07:11So, you talked about bringing back Diaz, bringing back Alonzo.
07:16Your second thing you thought the Mets really need to do was acquire top of the rotation starter.
07:20And I think it's pretty clear, most people would agree, the Mets clearly need a front-line ace-type starter to stabilize this rotation.
07:27Who do you see as the most realistic targets through free agency or trade as the market takes shape here in this offseason?
07:33Yeah, and I have a hard time answering that question because I don't know who the most realistic is.
07:39I mean, I think the one I would certainly exhaust every option to see is if the Tigers are going to trade Tariq Skubal.
07:47Because that is the move that would push your rotation over the top.
07:55And, yeah, it's going to take a lot to get them away from the Tigers.
08:00You know, you're going to sacrifice, oh, at least three top 20 prospects.
08:09And the thing with him is he's not guaranteed beyond this season because he can become a free agent after one more year.
08:17So I think if I'm the Mets, I'm making that phone call and staying on it until the Tigers definitely say, yeah, we're not trading this guy.
08:28And it may very well be that they're going to hold on to him and try and make another run with him or at least until the trade deadline.
08:35And then, you know, the free agent market, you have guys like Ranger Suarez, Frambois Valdez.
08:45So there's some quality left-handers out there.
08:48But that would, you know, if you can put a top guy like that as the number one in your rotation and then look to maybe put Nolan McClain behind him and then just fill in behind that, you know, mentally upgrade your starting pitching.
09:09Yeah, it would.
09:10Scoobo would be a big prize.
09:11You know, Alcantara's name is going to be out there for trades.
09:14Joe Ryan, maybe a possibility there too.
09:17And that kind of leads me to this here, Mike, because if the Mets miss out on the big names, you know, whether it's through trade or free agency,
09:23do you see David Stearns going the depth route again with like multiple mid-rotation arms?
09:28Or is landing a true ace non-negotiable to compete in 2026?
09:33I don't know if it's non-negotiable, but, you know, and they certainly have a lot of those kind of mid-range arms right now.
09:43But the one thing you'll look at is you really don't know a lot about a lot of, you know, we still don't know what Brandon Sprott is.
09:53And we saw Jonah Tong come up at the end of last season and struggle.
09:56And, you know, both of these guys might need a little more seasoning at AAA to begin the season.
10:01You have Christian Scott coming back.
10:03Like, he's kind of an intriguing piece.
10:05He missed last year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
10:10So that's another name to keep an eye on.
10:13And you have Sean Minaya, as you know, you have Senga and David Peterson and Clay Holmes.
10:21So there's a lot of kind of mid-rotation arms there.
10:27And so I don't know if you necessarily have to go out and add another starter if you're not getting one of those, you know, high set top of the rotation type.
10:41But, you know, I think that's got to be the focus is moving it, moving the rotation forward.
10:48And one of those top guys gets you there.
10:51Yeah, that would be the dream for the Mets fans.
10:53I'm going to ask you about this player, even because just kind of adjacent to pitching.
10:57But there's a lot of buzz around Japanese star Winitaka Murakami being posted.
11:02How do you see the Mets balancing their pitching needs while also monitoring the international market for opportunities like maybe bringing him into the lineup?
11:09Yeah, and that's another thing to keep an eye on here.
11:14And we know David Stearns has scouted Japan, you know, last year he went over to see Roki Sasaki pitch over there.
11:25And the Mets tried to get involved with him.
11:27And before that, it was Yashinobu Yamamoto.
11:31And, you know, the thing is, these Japanese players, I think the assumption is they're all going to go to the Dodgers.
11:37But, you know, eventually the Dodgers aren't going to be able to take on all of them.
11:42So, the Mets, yeah, I think the Mets will be involved with some of these guys.
11:49It's just a matter of if they fit and, you know, which ones don't go to the Dodgers.
11:56Yeah, Dodgers are right.
11:57Can't side all of them.
11:58Mets will get some.
12:00Other teams will get some.
12:00They're not going to get all of them.
12:01They'll probably get most of them, but not all of them.
12:03Not all of them.
12:04Not all of them are going to want to go play with Yamamoto or Otani.
12:07You're right about that.
12:08Okay, your last bold move that you had, to me, it was the most intriguing, right?
12:13Because you said trade controllable young talent to improve roster balance.
12:17Excuse me.
12:18So, trading from the Mets' young talent pool to strengthen the overall roster.
12:23So, with that being said, which positions do you think are most in need of upgrades right now on this Mets roster?
12:29Well, I look at center field right now as kind of a gaping hole.
12:35You know, you really don't have, you know, much of anything.
12:40Now, Tyrone Taylor's been a nice defensive player for you, but we saw how the Mullins trade worked out last year.
12:47Not well.
12:49You know, you were playing Jeff McNeil in center field a lot.
12:51That's not ideal.
12:52So, I think that's what I would be looking at if I'm dealing with some of my young talent, whether it's from that group of young pitchers we mentioned, or, you know, I would take McLean off the table.
13:08I wouldn't make him a trade possibility.
13:11But maybe Tong, maybe Sprout, a kid like Santucci down on the farm who's earned some strong reviews.
13:22Brett Batey's got some trade value here.
13:25Now, the thing is, if you subtract him, I don't know what you'd do with third base unless you're planning to go out and sign Alex Bregman, which you could do.
13:33But, you know, Batey's probably, among the non-pitchers, got the highest trade value in the group.
13:42You know, we saw Mark Vientos' value drop last season based on his performance.
13:50And Ronnie Mauricio really didn't get to play a lot the last month and a half, two months or so.
13:57So, but, you know, he's young enough and there's enough raw ability there that I think you can get something for him.
14:08But I think, you know, Batey's certainly based on what we saw the second half of last season, the guy who can bring you something back provided you have a plan for third base.
14:19Yeah, it'll be interesting to see what the Mets' plan is there with these young players and who they might or might not move.
14:25But when you look at the guys, you kind of touched on this a little bit with McClain.
14:29Sounds to me like you think he's an untouchable.
14:31So when you look at, I'll put him in here, and Brandon Sprott, Jonah Tong, do you think any of them should be untouchable?
14:37Or is everybody on the table if it means getting proven Major League talent, especially if you can get a front-line starter?
14:44Yeah, and I think, yeah, I think anybody beyond McClain, I would be open to listen on and consider.
14:53And, you know, maybe there's a deal that wouldn't, you know, I think you'd really have to be blown away to deal McClain.
15:02I wouldn't make anybody untouchable, but, you know, I think I would make a guy like McClain 95% untouchable.
15:09And then the others you certainly listen on.
15:13And, you know, they are developing some highly regarded young pitching.
15:18And if that's what it's going to take to move this thing forward, I would go in that direction.
15:25Yeah, that would be interesting to see.
15:26I guess that brings me to my last thing here.
15:28You will talk with David Stearns.
15:30He'll meet with the media tomorrow in Las Vegas at the GM meetings.
15:34What's your sense here, Mike?
15:35Do you believe David Stearns is more likely to make a blockbuster-level move this winter or a series of smarter supporting cash trades to rebalance the roster around Alonso and Soto and Lindor?
15:49Yeah, and, you know, his calling card here has kind of been the latter.
15:55Now, listen, last year they went out and signed Juan Soto, and we know that was Steve Cohen driving that bus.
16:06You know, and Stearns hasn't really shown us an appetite to go big here.
16:12So, you know, if I were handicapping it right now, I would think it's more the second thing you mentioned.
16:19But, you know, they're also coming off a season here where they missed the playoffs and the expectations were high.
16:26So maybe that kind of shifts his thinking a little bit, whereas last offseason, well, you know, they had gone to the small rope previously, and it had worked, you know, bringing in Severino and Minaya and that crew, and that got them to the NLCS.
16:44So this year, it's the disappointment factor might maybe skews his thinking a little bit.
16:50Yeah, I wonder how it skews his thinking.
16:51I'll tell you what, the fan base, they absolutely are looking for a big move.
16:55He does a lot of talk about them wanting the Mets to go get Scoople.
16:58It'll be interesting to see what they do.
17:00But those are Mike Puma's three biggest needs, bold moves that the Mets must make this offseason.
17:08We'll see if they do any of them.
17:10Hopefully they do all of them and they listen to Mike, but who knows?
17:13We won't know.
17:14That is Mike Puma.
17:15He is out covering the Mets at the GM meetings in Las Vegas, and we're doing that for us here with the New York Post.
17:22Mike, appreciate the time here on Straight Outta Flesh, and we'll talk soon.
17:25All right, Dexter, take care.
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