Mets Continue To Be Listed As Landing Spot For Highly-Coveted Free Agent

New York still has a chance to land their ace

The New York Mets are striving to retool their rotation this offseason but will have to compete with other big-market clubs attempting to do so.

This year's free-agent starting pitcher market is highly competitive with big-market clubs such as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants looking to acquire the most-coveted arms out there.

The Mets are in search of an ace and recent reports indicate that they are at the top of the list of teams to land a highly sought-after arm.

"Yamamoto has already met with at least three teams -- the Yankees, Mets and Giants -- and is expected to sit down with more this week," MLB.com's Mark Feinsand wrote Tuesday. "This includes the Red Sox in the coming days, according to a source. Two or three more teams, including the (Toronto) Blue Jays, will also likely meet with him, sources said.

"Mets owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns flew to Japan to meet with the pitcher prior to the Winter Meetings, making it clear that he’s their top priority this offseason."

Yamamoto posted a 16-6 record with a 1.21 ERA, 169-to-28 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and 0.860 WHIP in 164 innings pitched for the Orix Buffaloes in 2023.

The Japanese sensation is the hottest item on the market and Yamamoto will likely receive a big payday after Shohei Ohtani's record-setting 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers -- setting a market value precedent.

The Mets have been listed as a serious contender to land Yamamoto for quite some time now but Cohen has yet to reach a deal -- despite meeting with the young Japanese star face-to-face.

The Mets still need a top-of-the-rotation arm and hopefully, they'll be able to outbid other clubs to land the highly-coveted hurler.

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