The signing of J.D. Martinez solved a Mets problem and exacerbated an issue.
We now know who is hitting behind Pete Alonso. What we don’t know is if Alonso or Martinez will be Mets in 2025. They are not alone.
The signing of Martinez gave the Mets 26 players with full major league contracts. Fifteen can be free agents after this season. It includes every veteran starter not named Kodai Senga and about every established reliever not named Edwin Diaz.
To some degree, this is by design. The Mets committed themselves to not committing too much future roster space or payroll in acquisitions this offseason. They signed eight players to fully guaranteed major league deals (so not counting the split contracts of Austin Adams and Michael Tonkin). The only one that is not a straight one-year deal was the two-year pact with Sean Manaea, in which the second season is a player option.
For the Yankees, of their 21 players with major league deals, nine can be free agents, at a time when many player reps fret about what they see as a strategy by teams to sign one-year deals to flood the free-agent market each offseason with supply to try to lower prices.
For the New York clubs, two of MLB’s biggest looming free agents — Alonso and Juan Soto (both Scott Boras clients) — play here. And the Yankees also are looking at potentially a final year for the left side of the infield of Anthony Rizzo and Gleyber Torres, plus a sizable portion of the bullpen led by closer Clay Holmes.
The teams have indicated they want to keep Alonso and Soto, but they also are two of three teams with payrolls above $300 million this season for luxury-tax purposes. Thus, they can’t keep everyone. So this is Hardball’s accounting of the top 10 New York players with the most to play for in their walk years:
1. Pete Alonso
Soto will get more, much more, next offseason. But that is why Alonso is first here. All of the Boras clients this offseason who held tight on a big number with a long-term commitment — Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Blake Snell and presumably at some point Jordan Montgomery — fell way short. Alonso has seen a comp to Aaron Judge as the elite homegrown power hitter beloved by fans. But the industry has shut off the big financial spigot for non-athletic corner players entering their 30s. Alonso can throw up a 50-ish homer 2024 season and do a lot to pressure Steve Cohen to a large Judge-ment.
2. Juan Soto
An injury or a down season would cost Soto, but since he is playing at 25 this year and has been one of the best hitters ever through 24, it feels like he is more likely to assure he will receive more than $500 million than sink below, say, $300 million.
3. Gleyber Torres
He is still just 27. He has assembled two good seasons since returning from shortstop to a full-time second baseman. Torres was among the league leaders in raising his walk rate from 2022 and, especially, lowering his whiff rate. If he does that again, his youth and bat should play well in the market.
4. Luis Severino
He had to sign a one-year, $13 million prove-it contract. What would a 25-plus start, successful season mean for him? Would teams think he has unlocked the ability to marry health to his talent?
5. Anthony Rizzo
He has a $17 million team option for 2025 or a $6 million buyout. So the Yankees will have an $11 million decision on whether to bring back a player who turns 35 in August. It sure helps that he is such close pals with the influential Judge. It would help more if he thrives like he did last season before suffering his concussion.
6. Clay Holmes
Since joining the Yankees in July 2021, the righty had been among the game’s best relievers. Does serving as the last line of defense on, say, a division winner in New York catapult him toward a four-year, $50 million-ish (or more) deal in the offseason?
7. Harrison Bader
Not long ago, you could have imagined a strong defense/WAR-darling center fielder scoring a strong, multi-year deal. But an inability to stay healthy had Bader accepting a one-year, $10 million pact with the Mets. He was a 114 OPS-plus/Gold Glover in 2021. How close can he get to that in his age-30 campaign?
8. Jonathan Loaisiga
When he pitches, he almost always does so at a high level. But the injuries have mounted. The Yankees are thinking of using him as a multi-inning reliever, say, twice a week with plenty of rest in between to see if that evokes his best. Aside from him and Holmes, Yankees relievers Caleb Ferguson, Tommy Kahnle and Lou Trivino can be free agents.
9. Alex Verdugo
Productive outfielders in their 20s are hard to find in free agency. Verdugo is in just his age-28 season. But he hardly left Boston with a pristine reputation. Can he be on his best behavior and production this season? By the way, Soto, Rizzo and Verdugo are all left-handed, so the Yankees can find themselves out of balance again without re-signings or the emergence of Jasson Dominguez, Spencer Jones and Austin Wells.
10. Sean Manaea
He can accept $12.5 million next year or opt out. Manaea will pitch at 32, but lefties with wide repertoires can expect strong bidding if they offer consistency — or better. Besides Severino and Manaea, fellow starters Adrian Houser and Jose Quintana also can be free agents — plus relievers Jake Diekman, Shintaro Fujinamo, Jorge Lopez, Adam Ottavino, Brooks Raley and Drew Smith also are in their walk years.