Breaking: The Balanced Lineup for Mets After Great Juan Soto Signing

The New York Mets got their guy – and they’re far from done.

On Sunday night, the Mets inked Juan Soto to a 15-year, $765 million contract, the biggest deal in the history of professional sports. The arrival of the 26-year-old slugger will make New York’s already explosive lineup into possibly the best in baseball, as well as making the team a clear-cut World Series contender.

But it would be foolish to assume that the Mets will call it an offseason after winning the Soto sweepstakes. Team owner Steve Cohen not only has the finances to sign the superstar outfielder to such a historic deal, but he has the money to add more key pieces to make New York a complete team in every facet, in addition to the prospect capital to swing a trade if needed.

Perhaps the most pressing need for the Mets at the moment is starting pitchers. They have already signed Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes to enter the rotation, but Montas has dealt with injuries and/or consistency issues over the past few seasons, while Holmes, usually a reliever, hasn’t started a game since 2018. The incumbent arms in the rotation include Kodai Senga, and possibly David Peterson and Tylor Megill; the latter two are candidates to be moved to the bullpen due to their inconsistency as starters and flashes of success as relievers, while Senga dealt with an injury-plagued 2024 campaign that makes it somewhat difficult to depend on him as an ace.

Despite the departure of Luis Severino, the Mets feel great about their chances of bringing Sean Manaea back, who filled in admirably as the ace of the staff last year, especially in the second half. After the All-Star break, the 32-year-old southpaw tossed 85 innings and recorded ten starts with six or more innings pitched, logging a 3.48 ERA and 88 strikeouts.

Also in the free agent market is right-hander Corbin Burnes; while president of baseball operations David Stearns has preferred to build the rotation on high-upside pitchers on incentive-heavy contracts, Cohen has more than enough money laying around to sign Burnes, considered the best pitcher available in free agency, to a contract and have him fill the team’s need of a bona-fide ace. Burnes himself played under Stearns’s Milwaukee Brewers teams and even won the NL Cy Young Award in 2021; spending 2024 with the Baltimore Orioles, the 30-year-old enjoyed another impressive campaign by pitching 194.1 innings with a 2.92 ERA, 3.55 FIP, 1.10 WHIP, and 181 strikeouts against 48 walks.

Of course, there is also Roki Sasaki to consider as he is being posted from Japan; in four seasons overseas, the 23-year-old righty has an unfathomable 2.02 ERA and 0.883 WHIP, averaging 11.5 strikeouts and just two walks per nine innings. Sasaki has possibly the highest upside and most sheer talent of any pitcher available this offseason, and he’d be available for a fraction of the price as a pitcher like Burnes (due to being limited to signing a minor league deal).