Cost-Effective Re-signings: Mets’ Best Value Players for 2024

Photo From SB Nation 

The New York Mets 2024 miracle postseason run has come to an end after falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the NLCS last night 10-5.

Unfortunately for fans that fell in love with this 2024 roster, you are going to be seeing a lot of changes in the offseason. The Mets have 11 players on their roster that are set to be free agents and two other players who have the option to opt out of their contract.

I am going to give the three top players I think the Mets should re-sign this offseason. My list is based off players who I think can be productive next season and won’t break the bank if we re-sign them. That is why I am leaving off Pete Alonso and Sean Manaea from this list. As much as I would like to see both of these players back, they are going to come with a hefty price tag.

Jose Iglesias: The 2nd baseman was out of baseball for over a year before the Mets called him up on May 31st. From that point forward, he hit .337 with an .830 OPS over 85 games. On top of that, Iglesias has become one of the most popular players in the clubhouse, with teammates praising his upbeat and positive attitude, which has proven to be contagious.The small sample size of his production, along with his age (he turns 35 in January), won’t have teams looking to outbid each other for Iglesias. I think the Mets could and should re-sign Igelsias to a short term deal for a couple million dollars.

Luis Severino: The Mets signed Severino to a 1-year, $13 million contract in 2023. The former two-time All-Star had a bounce-back season pitching in Queens. In his final season pitching with the Yankees in 2023, Severino went 4-8 with a 6.85 ERA. This season with the Mets, Sevy went 11-7 with a 3.91 ERA. Severino went 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA during this postseason. The reality is, the Mets starting rotation is not very strong, and they will need to spend a lot of money this upcoming offseason to address both the starting rotation and the bullpen. Re-signing a seasoned veteran like Severino on a short-term deal to be your number two or three guy in the rotation makes a lot of sense to me. Sevy is only 30 years old, and his last season as a Yankee seems more like a fluke and less of a sign of what’s to come. If the Mets can sign Sevy to another short-term deal while spending in the ballpark of $15 million, I think re-signing Severino is a no-brainer. However, given the demand for starting pitchers this offseason, I believe there will be many suitors interested in Severino. Hopefully his experience with the Mets was positive enough to have him re-sign.

José Quintana: All the reasons I listed above for re-signing Severino are the exact same reasons I think the Mets should lock down Quintana for another year or two. The 16-year veteran is coming off one of the most productive seasons of his career. In 31 games played, Quintana went 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA. Quintana was excellent in his initial two postseason starts this year, pitching 11 scoreless innings. Quintana will turn 35 this offseason and had played for three teams in the two years before signing a two-year deal with the Mets during the 2022 offseason. By now, Quintana probably just wants some stability with a team that has a real shot at contending for a World Series. I think the Mets can offer both of his wants by signing him to a 2-year deal with an option to opt out after the first year. I am ok paying Quintana between $13 and $15 million per season.

What other cost effective signings do you think the Mets can make this offseason? Comment below.