Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Just a day after the Houston Astros won the 2022 World Series by beating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games, the offseason is now officially underway in baseball. That’s certainly the case for the New York Mets, who have moved quickly to shape their roster for the 2023 season.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Mets have picked up the team option on Daniel Vogelbach for 2023, which is worth $1.5 million.

It was suspected that general manager Billy Eppler would pick up the option on the designated hitter for next year given the cheap cost. Declining the option would have sent Vogelbach and the Mets to arbitration. Where he would have all but certainly cashed in at a higher rate than his option.

Vogelbach will now remain in Queens through the end of the 2023 season before hitting unrestricted free agency next winter.

With the Mets needing to bolster their options at the designated-hitter role during the 2022 season, Eppler acquired Vogelbach from the Pittsburgh Pirates prior to the trade deadline. He got off to a hot start with his new team before cooling off considerably. He did end the season on a nice stretch, including a home run in the playoffs. Regardless, the Mets still have some work to do at the designated-hitter position this off-season.

Heyman has also reported that veteran pitcher Chris Bassitt will decline his $19-million mutual option, as has also long been suspected. The right-handed pitcher, who went 15-9 with a 3.42 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 2022, will now hit the open market in order to seek a multi-year deal that will all but certainly pay him more annually than the option. Thus, why he opted out.

However, per our own Michael Mayer, the Mets will now extend Bassitt the $19.5-million qualifying offer. This to ensure, if Bassitt still signs elsewhere, the team will receive draft-pick compensation. As you can see, it was a no-brainer for the Mets to respond with the qualifying offer.

You can read about the rest of the option decisions the Mets have to make right here.