Experts Reveal Why Mets 'Are a Clear Front-Runner' For Top Free Agent

Three MLB experts are making New York Mets fans extremely optimistic on Wednesday.

May 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets logo on the sleeve of J.D. Martinez during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The New York Mets are expected to be major players in this upcoming MLB offseason's free agency market.

All indications are that the Mets will pursue Yankees superstar Juan Soto for a lucrative long-term deal. But given that three of their top starting pitchers will likely become free agents, New York will need to fill that gap in the rotation somehow.

And what better way to do so than by signing a former Cy Young award winner?

The Mets have been commonly listed as potential suitors for Baltimore Orioles ace Corbin Burnes. And in a September 18 article from MLB.com insiders Mark Feinsand, Anthony DiComo, and Jake Rill explain why they deem New York "absolutely a fit" and "a clear front-runner" for securing Burnes' services.

"Stearns knows Burnes as well as he knows any pitcher out there," Feinsand wrote. "If there’s one guy he may feel comfortable spending big on, it could be his former Brewer. And after watching the Dodgers sign Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto last winter, I will never say never regarding a team like the Mets signing two nine-figure deals in the same offseason."

Before Mets' president of baseball operations David Stearns joined the Mets in October 2023, he served as the Milwaukee Brewers' general manager from 2015-2023.

DiComo (who is MLB.com's Mets beat writer) added, "Fair enough, and this is a unique offseason for the Mets, who are going to lose more than 500 of their rotation innings to free agency. They need to replace those somehow, and Burnes would make that a whole lot easier. Plus, as Mark mentions, Stearns has a longstanding relationship with Burnes and Cohen has a great rapport with Boras.

"It's absolutely a fit on paper," he added.

One might assume that Jake Rill, who's MLB.com's Orioles beat reporter, would be more optimistic about the team he covers re-signing Burnes this offseason. But that wasn't his sentiment at all.

"But if in any scenario [the Orioles] get into a bidding war with Cohen's Mets, I don't envision it going in Baltimore's favor," Rill said.

"That's the biggest reason why I feel the Mets are a clear front-runner over the Orioles in this conversation. We know what Cohen has the potential to do; we don't know that about Rubenstein," he added.

While these opinions aren't set in stone, Mets fans must be feeling good about what these experts are saying about their team's chances of securing Burnes.