The New York Mets continue to try to put together a team that can give them their first World Series title since 1986, and after signing a multi-million dollar contract with Juan Soto, the New Yorkers are now turning their attention to their pitching staff.
The Mets have their sights set on two San Diego Padres pitchers, Dylan Cease and Michael King, after they showed they don’t like long-term deals for pitchers when they didn’t pursue Max Fried or Corbin Burnes.
A market full of options without materialising
However, the Chicago Cubs are also in talks, and the Padres would look for a trade for Brandon Sproat, Jett Williams and Luisangel Acuña even though the Cubs could give the Padres prospect Matt Shaw, who plays third base.
If the Padres trade any of the starters, they will consider Nick Pivetta or Jack Flaherty.
Flaherty is a surprise for his continued availability, as he is only 29 years old, has no qualifying offer attached, went 13-7 with a 3.18 ERA in 2024 and had big postseason starts against the Mets and Yankees.
Pivetta is of interest to at least 10 teams, including the Blue Jays, although that option could change after the deal with Max Scherzer, who is coming to Toronto for next season for $15.5 million dollars, while they are also trying to extend the contract of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Flaherty belongs to the Detroit Tigers although he played the second half of the season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his original team is interested in bringing him back to Detroit, while the San Francisco Giants could sign more pitchers.
The Mets offered Mark Canha a non-guaranteed deal. It’s been a slow market for position players over the age of 32, but Canha, a versatile power hitter who has posted an above-average OPS for seven consecutive years, could help many teams.
J.D. Martinez, a great influence in the Mets’ winning clubhouse, and aims to play in 2025.
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