Brodie Van Wagenen told reporters on Wednesday night that the Mets will not let a qualifying offer alone deter the team from signing any free agent this offseason.
The GM cited that the penalties for signing free agents that received those offers are not nearly as punitive as they were at one point. Instead of potentially giving up their first-round pick, the Mets would now only have to give up a second-round pick and $500,000 in International Bonus Pool money.
Only seven players even received the $17.9 million offer this offseason. Those players were Patrick Corbin, Bryce Harper, Dallas Keuchel, Hyun-Jin Ryu, A.J. Pollock, Craig Kimbrel, and Yasmani Grandal. The Mets were reported to have interest in the latter today while Kimbrel and Pollock are both seen as potential fits for the team next season.
