The New York Mets performance over the past few seasons has been no less than a roller coaster ride. Despite pouring resources into their team roster, with top-notch signings and lucrative deals in place, achieving triumph on the field has proven to be a challenge – last year, particularly. as they traded some of their best players with a mix of young and experienced players to rebuild their future. Since then, the team has been spending around 341 million dollars on payrolls and other penalty taxes.

The Mets experienced a change in financial stability during the end of the 2024 offseason. Many of their contracts with Justin Verlander, Robinson Cano, and other mid-tier player contracts were transferred or saw a conclusion. After these agreements are no longer in effect, the Mets’ payroll for 2024 will be $158 million, now allowing the team some flexibility in managing their finances. This change reflects their approach of balancing competitiveness and steering clear of excessive luxury tax fines. Recently, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns talked about the payroll benefits in 2024.

Are the Mets ready to rebuild their team in 2024?

According to the New York Post, after the Game 6 loss against the Dodgers, David Stearns talked about how the Mets are going in the free agency market more openly. He said, “We’ve got financial flexibility, and it means that pretty much the entirety of the player universe is potentially accessible to us.” He further explains that this is a great opportunity for the team and thinks that the team should take advantage of it by being a little aggressive when it comes to selecting new players like Juan Soto.

David Stearns’ consideration of Soto, as an addition to the New York Mets, is pretty obvious as the player brings notch-on-base abilities along with power and the capacity for leading a lineup. Despite his experience in MLB far being just a young player still holds the potential for becoming a key figure in Stearns’ plan for building a durable core in the Mets.

Adding Soto could really shake up the Mets’ offense by introducing a high OBP player who has already shown his worth, in other teams. With players like Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso, and potentially Soto, the team can change the whole dynamics for the upcoming season of 2025.

David Stearns’ future plans for the New York Mets

In a discussion with Steve Cohen, the owner of the New York Mets, on Monday, Stearns said that he expects the company to spend a decent portion of the dead money (coming from the last season) to compliment the team. Heading into the year, he also plans to avoid any decisions that could restrict the Mets in the future and hinder their ability to grow and strengthen their core group. The question is, if he wants the team to be dominant, what other players can they get in the Mets?

The Mets can be in luck as many of the great players are turning into free agents this year. One of the great pitchers, Corbin Burnes, who has consistently been at or near the top of the league, can give the Mets an ace-level starter to pair with Kodai Senga at the top of the rotation. Padres Blake can also be a great choice, as he recently opted out of his contract and is in high demand. Apart from pitchers, Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman are both elite defensive players.

Their range and caliber make them strong candidates who can elevate the overall infield defense of the team. Focusing on players with high defense capacity can give the Mets an edge in games, especially when playing against strong offensive players. With the Mets having the flexibility to spend, they might need to focus on blending star talent with depth to prevent making errors of investing heavily in expensive deals without considering roaster balance.

What do you think they should be doing? Let us know below.