Major League Baseball free agency commenced after the Dodgers beat the Rays in a 3-1 Game 6 World Series win Tuesday to end their 32-year championship drought. Teams now have five days to make preliminary roster decisions.
These 11 Mets became free agents Wednesday: Yoenis Cespedes, Jed Lowrie, Marcus Stroman, Rick Porcello, Michael Wacha, Jake Marisnick, Justin Wilson, Jared Hughes, Erasmo Ramirez, Eduardo Nunez, and Rene Rivera.
The Mets have until Sunday at 5 p.m. to tender Marcus Stroman’s qualifying offer of $18.9 million, which the club is expected to do. It’s likely that Stroman will decline that offer and explore a thin starting pitching market. The Mets, commanded by prospective owner Steve Cohen if and when he is approved by MLB owners, can still be in the running for Stroman if he declines their offer. Though the competition will be high, Cohen’s deep pockets can afford Stroman if that is the direction his front office decides to go.
These three Mets have club options: Wilson Ramos ($10 million, $1.5 million buyout), Todd Frazier ($5.75 million, $1.5 million buyout) and Robinson Chirinos ($6.5 million, $1 million buyout).
The Mets are expected to decline all three options. They will need a starting catcher and Phillies All-Star backstop JT Realmuto is the hottest free agent available this offseason. John Middleton, the Phillies managing partner, has not ruled out re-signing Realmuto.
But Realmuto would like to remain in Philadelphia and is not particularly keen on playing in New York, NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury reported. He added, however, if that’s where the record-setting money is, “Realmuto will eat heroes instead of hoagies.”
These two Mets have player options: Dellin Betances ($6.8 million, $3 million buyout) and Brad Brach ($2.425 million, no buyout).
Both player options are expected to be exercised.
Cohen cannot make any moves (signings, trades, or front-office hires) until he is approved by MLB via majority owner approval. The hedge-fund maven is expected to get those votes with just one firm ‘no’ and two other owners on the fence, as the Daily News previously reported.
Cohen also needs mayor Bill de Blasio to sign over the Mets’ lease agreement with New York City. De Blasio, in his latest remarks on the topic of the Mets sale, said New York City’s law department is doing its “due diligence” and he believes it will wrap up “very soon.” De Blasio said an announcement could come “in the next few days.” The mayor plays a role in an ownership change because Citi Field and the land around it is owned by New York City. It is unclear whether de Blasio has any grounds to block Cohen from gaining control of the Mets. The sign off should merely be a formality.
If de Blasio signs off on the lease transfer by Friday, when MLB owners are expected to vote in Cohen’s favor, it will result in a transfer of power from the Wilpons to Cohen as sole majority owner of the Mets. If all goes according to plan, Cohen will have a few days to tender a qualifying offer to Stroman and exercise options by Sunday’s 5 p.m. deadline.
Free agents cannot sign with a new team until five days after the conclusion of the World Series. However, the pandemic’s impact on 2020 revenues is expected to result in more declined options and non-tendered contracts this offseason. Cohen, a first-time MLB owner worth roughly $14 billion per Forbes, is expected to be the exception to that outlook.
