Shocking: Mets Roster Takes Hit as 3 Players Decline Qualifying Offers

Before the 4 P.M. deadline, three New York Mets players rejected qualifying offers from the team. The offer was for a one-year $21.05 million contract for the 2025 season. The players that New York extended qualifying offers to were First Baseman Pete Alonso, Starting Pitcher Sean Manaea, and Starting Pitcher Luis Severino. All hope is not lost for New York as they will receive draft-pick compensation if any of these players decide to sign with any of the 29 other clubs during the 2024 MLB Offseason.

These three players were all critical for the New York Mets during their shocking trip to the NLCS. New York lost in six games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. New York is free to negotiate with these players as they hope to bring them back to Flushing Meadows for 2025 and beyond. How many of these players will New York be able to re-sign this offseason?

Alonso had a solid season as he was one of the finalists for the Silver Slugger Award at the first base position. He lost out to Philadelphia Phillies First Baseman Bryce Harper for the prestigious award. Alonso, President of Baseball Operations David Stearns, and Owner Steve Cohen have all expressed their desire to come to a long-term agreement to keep Alonso with the club for years. Manaea had the best season of his career in 2024 with the New York Mets. He was top 20 in the league during the regular season in ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP.

Manaea was also the ace of New York’s staff during the regular season leading the ballclub in many important pitching categories. Unfortunately, Manaea struggled in the 2024 MLB Postseason. He was 2-1 with a 4.74 ERA and was on the mound in Game 6 of the NLCS against the Los Angeles Dodgers which ended New York’s season. He surrendered 5 earned runs over 2 innings of work. Severino also experienced a career resurgence in his first season with the New York Mets. Unlike Manaea, he was able to pitch well during New York’s playoff run. He had a 3.24 ERA during the postseason.

Final Thoughts

While all three of these players are very important for the New York Mets in 2025 and beyond, the team has bigger fish to fry. New York is engaged in a bidding war for the services of Center Fielder Juan Soto. According to New York Yankees play-by-play announcer Michael Kay, Cohen will spare no expense as it pertains to signing Soto. He is willing to go $50 million above the highest bidder to bring Soto to the New York Mets.

New York will have to contend with teams including the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and the Los Angeles Dodgers among others for Soto’s services. The reports around Soto are that he will command a $700 million contract. Once the Soto sweepstakes is settled, New York can begin to build their team for 2025. Following a successful 2024 season, and many contracts coming off the books, the Mets will enter next year with lofty expectations. Today’s news was not unexpected, but it illustrates that New York will have to work hard to re-sign their former players and bring in prospective free agents.