He may have more control over the situation than others, but like everyone else, Steve Cohen is waiting for Juan Soto.
Asked Monday about the possibility of Soto joining the Mets, the team owner told reporters, “Listen, we're going to find out. It's either 'yes' or 'no.' There is no in between. Time will tell. ”
Teams are expected to begin making offers for the offseason's biggest free agent awards soon, with many believing a decision will be made around the time of the winter meetings, which begin Dec. 9 in Dallas. .
Either way, Cohen, who was in attendance at the TGL Golf League's New York Golf Club event, is confident the Mets will do well in 2025.
“Let's see what happens,” Cohen said of the offseason. “We had a great team last year and we expect the same this year.”
To do that, they'll need a player better than Soto.
And on Monday, as the Post's Jon Heyman first reported, left-hander Yusei Kikuchi agreed to a three-year, $63 million contract with the Angels, leaving teams wondering what the free agent market is like for starting pitchers. I started to wonder if it would become something.
Will Sean Manaea and Luis Severino fall far behind?
Like most free agents, the pitching market was quiet during the first month of the offseason. Perhaps the move for the 33-year-old Kikuchi will affect the veteran pitcher, who the Mets and many others are interested in.
First on that list would be Manaea. He is just seven months younger than Kikuchi and is also a left-hander coming off a strong season.
Unlike Kikuchi, who was traded from Toronto to Houston last season and was not eligible for a qualifying offer, Manaea declined a qualifying offer from the Mets. In other words, if the Mets were to sign elsewhere, the team would receive a draft pick in the fourth round or later.
Manaea opted out of the second year of a two-year, $28 million contract he signed last offseason.
Severino also turned down a qualifying offer and entered free agency after a disappointing 2023 season with the Yankees and a strong bounce-back season with the Mets. He earned $13 million on a one-year contract last season.
Manaea and Severino are both experienced pitchers who have dealt with inconsistency and are expected to receive similar contracts to Kikuchi.
After struggling to start the season in Toronto, Kikuchi pitched much better after being traded to Houston in July. He pitched 175¹/₃ innings and posted a 4.05 ERA. He pitched 60 innings (10 starts) for the Astros, posting a record of 5 wins, 1 loss, and an ERA of 2.70.
Manaea, who signed with the Mets last offseason after subpar seasons with San Diego and San Francisco in 2022 and 2023, pitched 181/3 innings with a 3.47 ERA in Queens before getting ripped off by the Dodgers. He showed good pitching and performed well throughout the year. Game 6 of the NLCS.
Severino had his best season with the Yankees since 2018, when he was an All-Star, pitching 182 innings and posting a 3.91 ERA. Some speculated that the right-handed pitcher would accept the Mets' qualifying offer of $21.05 million. Staying healthy is difficult.
Kikuchi's deal is likely to be good news for both Mets pitchers, who are in the second tier of free agents behind Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Blake Snell.
The Mets' rotation is full of question marks, with Kodai Chiga, David Peterson, Tyler Megill, and Paul Blackburn all under contract for next year, but Jose Quintana is also a free agent, so the Mets are looking to bring back Manaea or Severino. There is a possibility of targeting. Without soto.
MLB announced several changes to the Rays' schedule for next season on Monday, with Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., unavailable due to damage from Hurricane Milton, and the team moving to Tampa, the Yankees' spring training home. We ended up playing at Steinbrenner Field. .
Instead of visiting the Angels in April, the Rays will host the Angels from April 8-10 and the Twins will play in Tampa from May 26-28.
Both measures were taken to minimize the number of home games played by the Rays during the summer, since Steinbrenner Field, unlike Tropicana Field, does not have a roof.
