Mets Named Potential Free Agency Fit For Top Starter

A top-tier starting pitcher has been named a potential free agency fit with the New York Mets.

Jul 13, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Regardless of how their 2024 campaign ends, the New York Mets are expected to have a busy offseason.

While inking superstar Juan Soto to a long-term deal and re-signing slugger Pete Alonso are likely to be at the top of their priority list, the Mets potentially losing up to three starting pitchers (Sean Manaea, Jose Quintana, and Luis Severino) could make the rotation a focal point for Mets' president of baseball operations David Stearns and the rest of New York's front office.

A September 12 article from MLB.com's Mark Feinsand suggests that the Mets are a top potential fit for current Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and soon-to-be free agent, Jack Flaherty.

"Flaherty’s first dalliance with free agency didn’t go well a year ago, so he bet on himself with a one-year, $14 million deal with the Tigers," Feinsand wrote. "His bet paid off: The right-hander pitched well in 18 starts with Detroit before being dealt to the Dodgers prior to the Trade Deadline. In a relatively thin starting pitching market – albeit a top-heavy one – Flaherty should be able to land the multi-year deal he struggled to find last offseason."

In 26 starts with the Tigers and Dodgers this season, Flaherty has amassed a 12-7 record with a 3.04 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 151 innings pitched.

Back in August, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer projected Flaherty would sign with the Mets this offseason on a 4 year, $68 million deal. While that asking price is nothing to scoff at, it would be less than New York would have to pay for a player like Corbin Burnes (who Rymer predicted to sign an eight-year, $288 million deal in another Bleacher Report article), while still adding a top-of-the-rotation starter to pair with a healthy Kodai Senga next year.

Whether it's by signing Flaherty, Burnes, or somebody else, the Mets' starting rotation could look very different next season.