Inside The Mets

Insider Reveals Mets' 'Absolute Number One Priority' in Free Agency

A prominent MLB insider set the record straight about exactly who the New York Mets are looking to acquire in free agency.

Grant Young

Aug 8, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; A New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Aug 8, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; A New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout in the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
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It's no secret that the New York Mets will be looking into acquiring free agent ace Corbin Burnes this offseason.

The four-time MLB All-Star and 2021 NL Cy Young was linked to the Mets by several insiders throughout the 2024 regular season and would certainly appear to be a great fit in Queens.

However, MLB.com insider Jim Bowden made it clear during a recent episode of the "MLB Network Radio" show that the Mets are hoping to do more than merely look into adding Burnes to their rotation.

"Let's be clear with what [Mets president of baseball operations] David Stearns wants to do," Bowden said. "'Cause I keep hearing Soto - Alonso, Soto - Alonso. That's not really what he wants to do. He wants Burnes and Soto, and he'd like to get a better defensive third baseman and move Vientos to first. That's what he wants. And I think [Mets GM] Steve Cohen is going to listen to David Stearns, that's why he hired him and paid him all that money."

It's fascinating to hear Bowden speak with so much finality about what Stearns' best-case scenario is this offseason. And he wasn't done there.

"Number one, [Stearns[ wanted to build the starting rotation, right? He wants Corbin Burnes. That's his absolute number one priority. Number two, he'd like to have Juan Soto. So if he can do anything, the first two moves are Burnes and Soto.

"Number three, he would like a third baseman and move Vientos to first base. So his preference would be to get Willy Adames and let him play third, or go get Alex Bregman to play third," Bowden continued.

He later noted that the Mets won't be reckless in their spending, but they're going try and get the sorts of superstars that the Los Angeles Dodgers got last offseason.

He also noted that it's not going to be easy for the Mets to have their way in free agency, given the other competitors on the market.

What's for sure is that securing Burnes and/or Soto would send a clear message to the rest of baseball that the Mets mean business.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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