The New York Mets enter the offseason with much work to do after this past season.
The Mets were expected to be playing in October right now, but for many reasons, they missed the playoffs and finished in fourth place with a 75-87 record. With new president of baseball operations David Stearns at the helm and owner Steve Cohen’s determination to field a winner, this offseason looks like one of the most important in team history.
Will Shohei Ohtani be part of those plans? Jeff Passan thinks so.
Photo by Roberto Carlo
Ohtani is the biggest fish in the free agency pool.
With the Mets in desperate need of a power bat and starting pitching, Ohtani seems like a dream come true for the organization if they can get him.
Speaking about the Mets’ plans for the offseason, ESPN‘s Jeff Passan thinks the team will be right there in the Ohtani sweepstakes. He said he thinks that the Mets will be “front and center” for the 29-year-old.
"This is a big offseason for both the Mets and Yankees coming off of really disappointing years."
— Jacob Kaye (@JacobKaye_) October 24, 2023
"The Mets should be front and center in the offseason of Shohei Ohtani."
What are the Yankees up to?@JeffPassan has the scoop on both teams' offseason plans. pic.twitter.com/UcIq3u7wHV
Passan mentions that the Mets can solve only some of their problems by spending in free agency, because the class is not viewed as generally strong. However, he lists the factors like Cohen’s willingness to spend big and go after big fish as reasons they will try to land Ohtani.
He does raise the question of whether or not Ohtani does want to come to New York in the first place. That has been brought up over the last year or so as Ohtani approaches his free agency. We’ll find out soon. The Mets have also been linked to NPB pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whom The Athletic‘s Will Sammon recently reported that team ace Kodai Senga wants them to sign Yamamoto.
Ohtani is a former American League Rookie of the Year, a three-time All-Star, and an American League MVP in 2021, all with the Angels. He’s probably going to win the Cy Young again this year. He is an ace pitcher, but his recent UCL injury this past season will keep him off the mound until 2025.
His bat, however, has been one of the best in baseball over the last half-decade. This past year, in 135 games, he hit 44 home runs and drove in 95 RBI while slashing .304/.412/.654/1.066.
