Inside The Mets

Mets 'Showed Interest' in Veteran Free Agent Slugger, per Insider

The New York Mets had their eyes on this free agent before he ended up signing elsewhere.

Grant Young

Sep 8, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Joc Pederson (3) reacts after hitting a single during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Sep 8, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks designated hitter Joc Pederson (3) reacts after hitting a single during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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The New York Mets have shown that the historic signing of Juan Soto earlier this month won't stop them from continuing to improve their roster in other areas.

This was proven true on the morning of December 23, when it was reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the Mets signed Sean Manaea to a three-year, $75 million contract after Manaea produced an excellent season in New York last season.

With Manaea returning to Queens (combined with the signing of Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes), the Mets might now be done adding starting pitchers this offseason.

But they'll still be looking for ways to improve their offense. And according to a December 23 X post from the New York Post's Jon Heyman, they had their eyes on a veteran slugger who just signed elsewhere.

"Mets showed interest in Joc Pederson before he went to the Rangers @Ken_Rosenthal 1st on Texas deal," Heyman wrote.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported on December 23 that the Texas Rangers signed Pederson to a two-year, $37 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first year.

Pederson would have been an interesting fit for the Mets. The 32-year-old lefty is primarily used against right-handed pitchers, and was extremely effective in that role for the Arizona Diamondbacks last season, hitting .281 with a .923 OPS, 22 home runs, and 60 RBIs in 335 at-bats against righties last season according to ESPN.

While the Mets ultimately didn't land Pederson, their reported interest shows that they're still actively looking to add more offensive talent around Soto and the rest of their roster for next season.

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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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