The New York Mets are at the forefront of the offseason rumor mill.

 

After a surprisingly deep playoff run in 2024 and with almost $200 million set to come off the books ahead of next season, owner Steve Cohen and President of Baseball Operations David Stearns are widely expected to redeploy that capital on a number of premier free agents.

 

Cohen is meeting personally with the hottest commodity on the market, Juan Soto. But with veteran pitchers Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and José Quintana all potentially departing this winter, locking in a frontline starter will also be a priority.

 

Assessing that landscape, a group of more than 50 voters from MLB.com have predicted the Mets as the top landing spot for the best free-agent pitcher available, ace Corbin Burnes.

“Though the Mets finished second among our voters in the (Blake) Snell race, they check in as the most popular landing spot for Burnes,” MLB.com added. “Over the past four seasons, Burnes ranks fourth in innings pitched (757), second in strikeouts (858), third in WHIP (1.02) and fourth in ERA (2.94; minimum 500 innings pitched).”

Across his seven-year big-league career, Burnes has a 3.19 ERA with four All-Star nods and a Cy Young Award. He was acquired by the Baltimore Orioles via trade last winter and had another stellar season, with a 2.92 ERA in 32 starts.

 

As one of the most durable and effective starters to hit free agency in a long time, Burnes is set to command a significant long-term contract. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman projected a seven-year, $210 million contract for Burnes this winter.

Landing Burnes would certainly give the Mets one of the biggest blockbuster additions of the winter and it would address one of the team’s roster questions coming off of their strong 2024 season in a big way.

 

“The Mets have plenty of work to do regarding their rotation,” Matt Musico noted for Newsweek. “Pairing Burnes with Kodai Senga would give the Mets an enviable one-two punch at the top of their rotation.”