For Starters, Market Beginning to Thin

The Mets, involved in the Juan Soto Sweepstakes, may want to jump into the Starter Signing Palooza, before it’s too late. Dominoes are falling.

With Blake Snell heading to the Dodgers (five years, $182 million) and Yusei Kikuchi going to the Angels (three years, $63 million) on Monday, teams looking for starting pitching like the Mets suddenly find themselves with fewer options to bolster their rotations.

Corbin Burnes (MLB Trade Rumors projects seven years, $200 million) and Max Fried (MLB TR projects six years, $156 million) remain the best available. A tier below those two are Jack Flaherty and Sean Manaea. Japanese starter Roki Sasaki, viewed by scouts to have ace potential, is expected to sign in January at a below-market deal as an international amateur. David Stearns went to Japan to get a look at Sasaki in September, though the Dodgers and Padres are considered favorites to sign the 23-year-old.

The Mets, with three holes to fill as Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana became free agents this offseason, have plenty of competition. The Red Sox, Padres, Cubs, Yankees, Orioles, Giants, Tigers and others are in the hunt for starters.

Stearns said after the season that the Mets would have to add starters, but not necessarily a “name brand” pitcher. The SP depth chart right now: Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Paul Blackburn and Tylor Megill.

“This isn’t new to us,” Stearns said at an Oct. 23 news conference. “We faced a similar task last offseason. We’re going to have to replace innings. Certainly a part of that could potentially be from some of those guys returning or we may look elsewhere. But we’re going to have to add starting pitching, we’re going to have to add multiple starters. We understand that. We went into last offseason with the same need and I think we’ll be able to do it.”

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