Winter Meetings primer: Mets could be big spenders with Japanese superstars on the market

The Mets have spent the last few weeks paving the road for a busy offseason. Finally, things are about to speed up.

The Winter Meetings begin Sunday in Nashville, with all of baseball set to descend on the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. The palatial complex will be the home base for thousands of baseball personnel from Sunday through Wednesday, and it will be a grand stage for the Shohei Ohtani show.

Baseball’s unicorn is a free agent and it’s the hottest topic in the game. The Mets may end up in the mix for the two-way superstar, but the club has other needs they will look to fill as well.

Here’s a look at what to expect from the Mets this week.

THE DECISION 2.0

Ohtani’s decision is the most important storyline of the offseason and for good reason: He’s the biggest domino that has to fall before some of the other free agents come off the board.

This whole thing is somewhat mysterious. No one knows if he’ll be the same pitcher in 2025. We also don’t know what the market for him will look like given all the uncertainty.

But that could change next week in Nashville. Ohtani might not like being the center of attention but greats like him command the spotlight whether or not they welcome it. What better time to decide than the Winter Meetings? Even if the former Los Angeles Angel doesn’t sign next week, we’ll still come away from the week with a better idea of his market.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan said the Mets initially pursued Ohtani, but have since turned their attention elsewhere. Things could change, but for now, it looks as though Ohtani won’t be taking his talents to Queens.

ARMS RACE

This starts with Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. We already know the Mets are heavily pursuing the 25-year-old and have been since the Orix Buffaloes posted him a few weeks ago.

The club views Yamamoto as a long-term rotation fixture. In 2024 and 2025, they could put him behind another Japanese right-hander, Kodai Senga. By 2026, he could be headlining a rotation that consists of mostly homegrown talent in pitchers like Mike Vasil, Blade Tidwell and Christian Scott.

But the Mets need much more than just Yamamoto if they want to be able to compete for a playoff spot next season. Plus, they’ll have competition for his services, competing with the Yankees for the first time in years for a high-profile free agent, and the first time in the Steve Cohen era. So while Yamamoto is the big name to watch, we’ll find out what else the Mets are looking for in terms of starting pitching help.

If all goes well, the Mets could leave Nashville with a couple of new starting pitchers and some bullpen help.

BIG SPENDERS

The Mets spent what they thought was needed to win a pennant last season. The 2023 season turned out to be a very costly one for more than one reason. David Stearns has been vague about how much the club intends to spend this winter, but with the goal of sustainability in mind, they know they’re going to have to spend in free agency again.

The Mets have already waded into free agency with one-year contracts going to infielder Joey Wendle and right-handed starter Luis Severino. That could be the tip of the iceberg. The industry is anticipating another expensive winter. The spending will eventually taper off when things stabilize, but that time hasn’t come yet.

“When you have the bigger jet and you say you’re going slower, you’re still going faster,” super agent Scott Boras said at the general manager meetings last month in Arizona. “But what I would say about that is that I think their idea and their vision is long-term. I think they see advantages in this market and next year’s market. They have a lot of work to do. They inherited a team that had very limited minor league depth, therefore they’ll have to do some very unique things with free agency to ramp up and particularly be competitive in the National League East.”

ALONSO UPDATE

Speaking of Boras, he’ll give his usual address during the Winter Meetings. He’s probably spent the last month workshopping lines.

In Scottsdale last month, he talked about his new client, “Polar Bear” Pete Alonso not being in “contract hibernation.” There has been no word of any talks about a contract extension since then. Boras will have more pithy lines about the Mets homegrown star first baseman, who will be a free agent after the 2024 season, but he doesn’t usually show his hand, meaning any updates will likely be minimal. But if nothing else, it will be humorous.

LINEUP UPGRADES

The Mets are in the market for a left fielder and they’ll need to find a DH upgrade as well.

Currently, there are four outfielders on the 40-man roster and one of those — Alex Ramirez — is not yet ready for big-league action. DJ Stewart will return as the fourth outfielder but left field is currently unmanned and the Mets don’t know what they can get from Starling Marte in right next season.

Tommy Pham was an effective solution in the outfield and at DH last season, so the Mets may look to acquire a player in that mold again.