FAQ: What to know about Mets' offseason

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NEW YORK -- It’s going to be a busy offseason for the Mets, because, well, aren’t they all busy offseasons these days? Coming off a year in which the Mets outpaced expectations to make it within two wins of the World Series, team leaders are hungrier than ever to build a contender. And they have plenty of cash available to try to do that.

Now that the World Series is over, the work begins anew.

What are the key offseason dates?

Now through Monday: The league is currently in a five-day “quiet period” in which free agents such as Pete Alonso can negotiate only with their own teams. (You may recall Edwin Díaz signing during this quiet period in 2022.) In addition, clubs can resume trading big leaguers for the first time since July.

Monday: This is the deadline for teams and players to exercise contract options, as well as for clubs to tender qualifying offers to eligible free agents. Also, the “quiet period” ends, allowing big league free agents to sign with any club as of 5 p.m. ET.

This will be an important day for Sean Manaea, who must decide whether to opt out of his contract. Assuming he does, the Mets are likely to extend him a qualifying offer. (More on that below.)

Nov. 4-7: GM Meetings in San Antonio, Texas.

Nov. 19: There are two deadlines on this day: one for players to accept a qualifying offer at 4 p.m. ET, and one to protect prospects from the Rule 5 Draft at 6 p.m. ET.

Nov. 22: Yet another deadline here -- the tender deadline. By 8 p.m. ET, teams must formally tender contracts to players not on guaranteed contracts, including (and most notably) those eligible for arbitration. Anyone who is non-tendered will become a free agent.

Dec. 9-11: Winter Meetings in Dallas, including the MLB Draft Lottery on Dec. 10 and the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 11.

Dec. 15: End of the 2024 international signing period.

Jan. 10, 2025: Eligible players and their teams exchange arbitration figures on this day. It’s another opportunity for a flurry of deals and/or extensions to happen.

Jan. 15, 2025: Start of the new international signing period. Many handshake deals that were agreed to in advance will become official on this day.

Jan. 25: The 100th annual Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s New York chapter dinner will take place at the New York Hilton Midtown. This is where the league MVPs, Cy Young winners and other award recipients receive their hardware. The Mets will also host their “Amazin’ Day,” a winter fanfest featuring player meet-and-greets and other events.

Who are the Mets’ free agents?

Got a pen? It’s a long list, including:

? 1B Pete Alonso
? INF Jose Iglesias
? OF Jesse Winker
? OF Harrison Bader
? DH J.D. Martinez
? RHP Luis Severino
? RHP Ryne Stanek
? RHP Phil Maton*
? RHP Adam Ottavino
? RHP Drew Smith
? LHP Sean Manaea*
? LHP Jose Quintana
? LHP Brooks Raley

*Pending option decisions.

Will any of the free agents be back in 2025?

Probably, but it’s tough to say exactly whom. The Mets will certainly negotiate with Alonso on a long-term deal to make him a Met for life, in the mold of Brandon Nimmo. But Alonso has earned the right to test the open market, and he intends to do so. At this juncture, it’s entirely unclear whether he’ll return.

Hitters such as Iglesias and Winker played well enough that they may seek roles as everyday players, limiting the appeal of a return to New York.

Which players have contract options?

Manaea has a player option worth $13.5 million, which is far less guaranteed money than he’s likely to get on the open market. According to a source, Manaea plans to decline the option, understandably so.

Maton is a more interesting case, given his $7.75 million team option. That’s probably a bit above market rate, but if the Mets exercise his option, they’ll give themselves more bullpen stability heading into the winter. This one could go either way.

Will any Mets receive a qualifying offer?

The QO is a one-year contract valued at the average of the league’s 125 highest-paid players. (This offseason, it’s $21.05 million.) If the Mets extend a qualifying offer to a player who subsequently signs elsewhere, they’ll receive Draft-pick compensation. That makes it worth doing for the most prominent free agents.

Alonso is very likely to receive a qualifying offer, given the fact he’s seeking a big multiyear deal on the open market. Manaea is a likely bet for similar reasons, and Severino makes a lot of sense as well. He’s probably the only one of the three who would consider accepting a QO.

Which Mets players are eligible for arbitration?

Grab that pen again. Here’s the list:

? C Luis Torrens
? OF Tyrone Taylor
? OF DJ Stewart
? RHP Paul Blackburn
? RHP Tylor Megill
? RHP Sean Reid-Foley
? LHP David Peterson
? LHP Alex Young

Arbitration is for players with between three and six years of service time. It’s a way for them to negotiate higher salaries based on historical comps, but it can also result in teams deciding they’re not worth the money and non-tendering them.

Are there any non-tender candidates from that group?

Stewart, Reid-Foley and Young stand out.

Everyone else should be tendered a contract, except for possibly Blackburn, who’s an interesting case. Blackburn made $3.45 million last season and would be due a modest raise in arbitration. Part of the reason the Mets acquired him at the Trade Deadline was because of his additional year of team control, which offered them rotation stability. But Blackburn missed all of September and October due to a spinal fluid leak that required surgery. He may not be ready to return by Opening Day, making him a risky bet.

What’s the Mets’ payroll situation?

For Competitive Balance Tax purposes, the Mets have more than $180 million coming off the books -- a massive figure that includes their own free agents as well as the dead money from players like Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. That should free up the Mets to do something they couldn’t the past few offseasons: spend with relative impunity.

The Mets only have significant money committed to six players, who are making around $120 million combined. Even accounting for the projected arbitration salaries of Peterson, Megill and others, the Mets should have tens of millions available before reaching the CBT threshold.

They’ve never viewed that threshold as a hard cap anyway, as evidenced by their record payrolls the past two seasons. It’s a long way of saying that the Mets are primed to spend significant dollars again this winter as they look to build a World Series champion.

Do the Mets need to protect any notable prospects from the Rule 5 Draft?

No, all the Mets’ top prospects are either ineligible for the Rule 5 Draft or they are already on their 40-man roster.

What are the Mets’ offseason needs?

Pitching, pitching, pitching … and Juan Soto. The Mets must either re-sign or replace Manaea and Severino, so they’re likely to add multiple Major League starters from a robust market that also includes Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Blake Snell. They also need to rebuild their bullpen around Díaz, who’s the only sure thing remaining.

But their biggest splurge could be for Soto, who’s a bit of a free-agent unicorn given his relative youth (he just turned 26) and Hall of Fame-esque career arc. Many executives around the game expect the Mets to make a significant push to pry Soto away from the Yankees.

Whom might they be willing to trade?

President of baseball operations David Stearns has a clear affinity for the trade market, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him dip into it again this offseason. The Mets could make any number of offensive prospects available, including Brett Baty, but one other name to keep an eye on is Jeff McNeil. The Mets included him in trade talks at the 2023 Deadline, and they could potentially do so again, especially in a deal for pitching.