MMO Roundtable: What Does a Perfect Mets Offseason Look Like?

The offseason is here, so it’s time for us Mets fans to dream big, right? So let’s take about it – our dream offseason. Here’s what the perfect Mets offseason looks like to us here at MMO.

Jack Ramsey

It feels like we have been trying to find a “perfect” winter for the Mets for a few years now, so it is hard to not reuse some of the same ideas from before. However, a “perfect” Mets winter this year starts with two points the team has faced for a few years: solidify the front end of their rotation and give their younger players legitimate reps next year.

The Mets need to land Tarik Skubal. There isn’t much discussion about this one. I am not sure how much I care about the money or the terms – Skubal is a once-in-a-generation talent with two Cy Young Awards and a triple crown. The Mets are in dire need of a bona fide ace, and Skubal is just that. The Mets and Dodgers have traded blows on the free-agent pitching market in the last half-decade (see Max Scherzer and Yoshinobu Yamamoto), making this a best-of-three in a sense. The Mets might need to throw up a godfather offer for him, but it would be well worth it.

Secondly, the Mets need to ensure that there is room on their roster for their top prospects to get a chance. We said this in the past handful of years about Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio, Francisco Álvarez, and Brett Baty – and it is true of Jonah Tong, Zac Thornton, Jefferson Rojas, and Émilien Pitre. Rojas and Pitre present potential for the Mets on the infield, which saw major turnover last year from the 2025 team. The Mets’ only clear long-term answer on the infield right now is Francisco Lindor at short (Bo Bichette carries another option for the 2028 season), and the Mets’ two infield prospects could become long-term answers for them at second and third base.

There are plenty of other things that the Mets need to do this winter: build half of their bullpen, rebuild their bench, trim fat off of their 40-man roster, and address a few holes in terms of organizational depth, just to name a few. However, every team needs to make these choices every winter. For this Mets team specifically, their hopes in 2027 and 2028 ride on getting an ace to pair with Nolan McLean and trying to find their infielders of the future to pair with Lindor and Bichette.

Robert Colonna

I think the perfect offseason has three components:

1. They raise both the floor and ceiling of the rotation while turning starters like Zac Thornton and Jonah Tong into depth (they will get plenty of major league starts when guys get hurt). In a perfect world, Nolan McLean is the second guy in the rotation and Christian Scott is the fourth.
2. Raise the floor of the lineup without giving up term. The Mets have many upper minors prospects either knocking on the door to the majors or about to, and you do not want to block long term with non-elite free agent signings. But they also need some insurance of quality at-bats if players go on the IL—potentially that will also come from the farm. Which brings me to the last point:
3. Ensure there is plenty of opportunity for young players to force their way up. This is not advocating for starting the season with a bunch of holes in the roster or penciling in prospects who aren’t ready. But over the last five years, the Mets have averaged 1,200 PA and 494 IP per season from players not on the Opening Day 26-man roster. This leaves plenty of games to be covered by the farm, and the Mets should utilize their farm while also stacking depth on minor league contracts as backups to both compete now and set themselves up for the future.

The most important thing to me is that the Mets remember you do not win the season based on having the sexiest opening day roster. They should design a balanced roster with plenty of depth that looks more like having quality players throughout instead of just trying to make offseason headlines. Except for Tarik Skubal. Sign Tarik Skubal.

Matt Mancuso

Any season where the Mets have the modern “Mickey Mantle” should be a year where the engines of contention are fully primed. The Mets’ roster has a combination of promising youths, productive veterans, and replacement-level players. The offseason plan should revolve around mitigating the impact of the third group.

1. Marcus Semien and Jorge Polanco should not be counted on to sustain their previous level of production over 162 games. What they contribute should be considered a bonus, rather than an expectation. The Mets must invest in quality 1B/2B depth to buttress the positions. A platoon first baseman (think Paul Goldschmidt, Alec Bohm, etc) and Andres Gimenez would fit this roster like a new Wilson glove.
2. In his end-of-season press conference, David Stearns referenced the “uncapped downside scenario” that the Mets spent too much time climbing out of in 2026. A lack of quality pitching preceded this fall. The Mets need pitching, and lots of it. The buck shouldn’t stop at Tarik Skubal. Skubal would help their ceiling, and replacement-level starters, which can be acquired via split deals, would support their floor. Expect to hear more deals similar to Robert Stock’s split-deal from last week.
3. Contrary to popular belief, the Mets are still one of the Majors’ premier development systems in the game. Carson Benge, AJ Ewing, Jared Young, and Reed Garrett remain clearly development wins among players on their 40-man roster. Jack Anderson and Pierson Oil may be this year’s Daniel Duarte. The hit rate doesn’t need to be super high, but these players are useful to help plug holes midseason. Expect Anderson and Ohl to be just the beginning of the Mets’ activity on the transaction pipe.

Johnluke Chaparro

There wont ever be a “perfect” offseason but with the positive progress Andy Green and the Mets made during the second half of last season with the infusion of youth and other pieces that thrived in many different areas, this is one where they might need to be as close to perfect as they can. When you employ Nolan McLean, Carson Benge, AJ Ewing, Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, it is crucial that they supplement this roster with pieces that can aid in contending right away.

1. Cut bait with some players and limit time for others. Mark Vientos is not a key piece anymore and should be let go. Brett Baty, Marcus Semien, Ronny Mauricio, and Jorge Polanco should not be counted on as full-time pieces
2. Get a first baseman. Easier said than done but if they can find someone to either take the spot or platoon with Jared Young, it would go a long way in stabilizing the lineup. Preferably a big bopper or a bat that can slug 30 plus home runs and can cycle around 1B/DH
3. One or two starting pitchers. Sean Manaea, while having performed better in the second half, should not be seen as a consistent piece in the rotation. Nabbing two starters should be the main priority. Of course, Tarik Skubal should be the big prize here, but then adding a Michael King, Joe Ryan, or even a Clay Holmes like pitchet to supplement Nolan McLean, Zac Thornton and Christian Scott is vital..
4. One or two bullpen arms. Kodai Senga was productive on the back end but the jury is still out on him. Devin Williams will need at least one or two arms to help supplement the back end. Adrian Morejon is the ideal candidate for something like this. An arm like that or someone else would make a solid bullpen stronger.

Mathias Altman-Kurosaki

The Mets went 34-31 in the second half and showed they have some semblance of a core on their roster. Now, they have to go from being a decent team to being a great team. That starts with getting more pitching—Tarik Skubal should be number one on the wishlist, but he can’t be the only arm they get. They should also aim to either sign one of the second-tier arms available (Trevor Rogers, Michael King, Nick Martinez or Clay Holmes) or swing a trade for a pitcher such as Joe Ryan or Drew Rasmussen. Secondly, they need a stable bat at first base. Jared Young took a big step forward in 2026, but he’s still more of a platoon bat rather than an everyday player. Jorge Polanco probably can’t be relied on for health reasons and Mark Vientos should probably be non-tendered. Lastly, they should try to bolster their bullpen with some proven arms. Kodai Senga showed some encouraging signs as the team’s closer, but it’s still unclear if he can handle a relief role over a full season. There are a few high-leverage arms on the free agent market (David Bednar, Adrian Morejón, Emilio Pagán, Bryan Abreu), and the Mets should aim to bring in at least one of them.

David Melendi

To me, a lot of major moves must happen if contending is the 2027 goal. They were 40-41 with Andy Green.

I’d want to see Skubal, another starter for the middle of the rotation and since we are talking “perfect” Adrian Morejon.

I don’t see a good solution at first base. My unpopular opinion is sign Luis Arraez. Or see if Juan Soto wants to follow the lead of another former National, Bryce Harper. A full-time DH is needed and Teruaki Sato or a trade for someone with power would work.

To make room, I’d cut (or trade) Polanco, Semien, Vientos, Manaea and Senga, who I think will all be negatives on the roster.

Andrew Steele-Davis

There is no doubt that the main mandate for the Mets in 2027 is to return to true contender status. They have some pieces in place, but there is a lot of work left to do. Therefore, this is what a perfect offseason could look like for the Mets:

1. Strengthen the starting rotation. I really like Nolan McLean, Zac Thornton, and Christian Scott, but it would be unfair to expect those three tgo carry all of the load. Tarik Skubal is the obvious name to throw into the mix and he would change the entire outlook for this team. If Skubal signs, the Mets still need to go out and sign a proven veteran like a Clay Holmes or a Michael King. If they miss out on Skubal, then Holmes or King and a trade for Drew Rasmussen or Joe Ryan would be a decent pivot.
2. Add two big bats. The Mets have to address first base in some way, shape or form. If they are going to spend a load of money on pitching, then signing Ryan Mountcastle to platoon with Jared Young at first should be fine for a season. In an ideal world, I’d like to see the front office go and swing a trade for an actual established first baseman. Additionally, this team needs another power bat. If I were David Stearns, I’d go out and sign Seiya Suzuki to mostly play DH and spell in the outfield when needed. I’ve always loved Suzuki as a player; I think he’s seriously underrated, and he would be the kind of big middle-of-the-order bat this team so needs.
3. Stearns needs to take fewer risks. He tends to get a little cute and it has often backfired. He can’t afford to be too cute this offseason. Therefore, he needs to go out and sign a proven closer rather than hope Kodai Senga can be trusted in a high-leverage situation all season long. He needs to work out a proper solution at both first and second base, and he needs to stop taking risks with pitchers. This season needs to be all about acquiring sure things.
4. Finally, I want the Mets to be ruthless when it comes to the Baby Mets. We can’t have yet another year of wondering if these guys can finally put it all together. Mark Vientos needs to be non-tendered, Brett Baty shouldn’t be kept around unless he’s going to get a full-time role, and if Francisco Alvarez can’t fix whatever is broken and work out how to be a consistent producer, then he should be traded too with Luis Torrens being made the full-time catcher.