New York

Mets

Bae, who was picked up on waivers from the Pirates in November, cleared it his second time around. That means he’ll stay with the Mets and get an invite to camp as a non-roster player next month. The 26-year-old Bae has hit .223/.294/.293 with 37 steals in 514 plate appearances with the Pirates since debuting in 2022.

Torrens drew much better reviews for his defense than his offense while playing more than expected for the Mets last season, but Statcast believes he was terribly unlucky to come in at just .226/.284/.345, crediting him an xBA of .280 and an xSLG of .450. Still, the Mets will want Torrens to serve as more of a true backup to Francisco Alvarez if all goes well this year. It’s Torrens’ final season before free agency.

Peterson was a slightly below average starter last year, but he’s still getting a $3.475 million raise after going 9-6 with a 4.22 ERA in 30 starts. He’ll surely open up his walk year in the rotation, but if he falters again, there’s a chance the Mets’ pitching depth could push him to the pen at some point.

Alvarez’s minor league demotion last year pushed back his free agency until after the 2029 season, but he still qualified for arbitration as a Super Two player. Despite dealing with injuries, the 24-year-old hit .256/.339/.447 over 76 games and showed some really impressive exit velocity numbers in the process. He might prove to be a top-12 fantasy catcher if he stays healthy.

The Mets could have non-tendered Megill, since he’s due to miss all of next season following Tommy John surgery in September, but they’re essentially betting he’ll be worth more than $5 million in 2027, which will be his final season before free agency.

Brazobán is 36, but he was only eligible for arbitration for the first time as a Super Two player. Despite spending some time in the minors, he had a 3.57 ERA in 63 innings for the Mets last season. He still has one option year left, so he could bounce back and forth again.

Garrett, who was eligible for arbitration for the first time as a Super Two player, underwent Tommy John surgery in October, so he’ll miss all of next season. The 33-year-old is under Mets control through 2029.

Shim is just 21 years old and was given a $750K bonus by the Pirates as one of the better pitchers in the 2023 international free agent class. Unfortunately, he has been limited to just 26 1/3 innings in the minors since then because of various injuries. It’s an interesting gamble for the Mets.

Rosenthal specifies that the “Mets are interested in both rentals and pitchers with club control.” That means pitchers like Tarik Skubal, Freddy Peralta, MacKenzie Gore, Edward Cabrera, Kris Bubic, and more could all be of interest. The Mets have plenty of prospects to make a deal work, and Rosenthal also reports that “they are also open to dealing infielders Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio, and Luisangel Acuña.” This is a situation to monitor, but nothing appears close right now.

With Dylan Cease and Tatsuya Imai no longer on the market, Valdez and Suarez are likely the two biggest starting pitcher names being discussed. Neither one of them may be viewed as a traditional ace, but the Mets need proven, frontline starting pitching, and both of these veterans would fit the bill. For what it’s worth, Olney believes Suarez is the better fit for the Mets given his calm presence on the mound and his experience pitching in a big market in Philadelphia for his entire career.