The New York Mets spent nearly $500 million in total money on new contracts last season to make a push for a World Series after their Wild Card Series elimination by the San Diego Padres in 2022. The Mets finished the season 75-87 record, where they sold players like Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, David Robertson, and Tommy Pham at the trade deadline.
Even though the team did spend money in these trades to replenish their roster, there was an expectation from fans that they would at least be in the running for some of the top free agents this offseason, despite their needs across the roster. The largest name available is Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.
Mets fans have essentially been imagining a fantasy baseball lineup with Ohtani as their designated hitter and starting pitcher. As it turns out, the fanbase has more faith in a signing happening than the team itself.
According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Mets "have their eyes" on Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto this offseason. That's because, per Nightengale, the Mets believe "they have no realistic chance to land Ohtani."
Mets reportedly believe they have 'no realistic chance' to sign Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani is expected to have a crowded field of interested teams looking to pry him away from the Angels, and understandably so. He's a once-in-a-generation player who's dominant on the pitcher's mound and inside the batter's box. So the Mets are prioritizing signing Yamamoto, who is receiving praise out of Japan.
This past season, Yamamoto recorded a 16-6 win-loss record, a 1.21 ERA, and 169 strikeouts over 164.1 innings (23 games) for the Nippon Professional Baseball League's Orix Buffaloes. Additionally, he won the Triple Crown (wins, ERA, and strikeouts) in each of the last three seasons (2021-23) in the NPB Pacific League.
As for Ohtani, he is coming off of a season in which he recorded a .304 batting average, a .412 on-base percentage (AL-best), a .654 slugging percentage (MLB-best), 44 home runs (AL-best), 95 RBI, 102 runs, and 151 hits in 497 at-bats. As for pitching, Ohtani posted a 3.14 ERA, a 1.061 WHIP, 167 strikeouts, and 55 walks in 132.0 innings.
Nightengale notes that if the Angels or the Los Angeles Dodgers don't sign Ohtani, "some executives" predict he'll sign with either the Chicago Cubs or Texas Rangers. Nightengale also notes that those executives believe the San Francisco Giants will offer him the most money.
The Mets' offseason will be an interesting one. They are already on the verge of hiring a first-time manager in Carlos Mendoza, former Yankees bench coach, and have to decide whether or not they will re-sign first baseman Pete Alonso. But the Ohtani dream for Mets fans appears to be just that -- a dream.