Mets free agent notes on Pete Alonso, Jesse Winker, Sean Manaea and more

LOS ANGELES – The New York Mets’ many future free agents largely shared the same opinion. Some praised the organization, especially the clubhouse, and wanted to stay with it. Considering how successful and entertaining it was to come within two wins of reaching the World Series, the comments seemed predictable.

However, the Mets are expected to see significant turnover again. This was expected when they signed a bevy of players to one-year deals last offseason. The Mets could have as many as 13 free agents, including some players not on the National League Championship Series roster.

The biggest name in the group is Pete Alonso, but others are particularly important, especially on the pitching side.

Here are notes on some of the Mets’ most notable free agents.

Pete Alonso

For almost a year, Alonso always gave the same answer when asked about free agency. He has long said he loves New York and playing for the Mets. But before his year of travel, he hired Scott Boras, who is known for exploring the open market with his clients. Still, Alonso could return to the Mets. A few years ago, Brandon Nimmo, the team’s longest-tenured player, also hired Boras before his walk year, but then re-signed with the Mets. Because of his standing with the franchise, his position, his potential aging curve and the possible salary he could command, Alonso’s free agency is the most intriguing decision point for president of baseball operations David Stearns and owner Steve Cohen.

When the Mets signed Manaea with a two-year guarantee and a player option for 2025, they thought he was a good choice to help stabilize their rotation after showing promising signs for the San Francisco Giants in 2023. Instead, he chose to be the Mets’ ace. Manaea increased the speed, made some changes to the repertoire and completely changed his arm angle midway through the season to have a career year.

It’s a given that Manaea will opt out of his contract ($13.5 million for 2025) and become a free agent. It wouldn’t be surprising if his agent, Boras, marketed him as a No. 2-type starter.

It probably makes sense for the Mets to make Manaea a qualifying offer (expected to be $21.05 million). He lived in Manhattan, took the 7 train to Citi Field and proved he could succeed in the city. Manaea should sign a multi-year contract.

“I really don’t have any control over it right now or I’m not even thinking about it,” Manaea said. “I enjoyed my time here, I love New York.”

Under Stearns, the Mets have shown more interest in reclamation projects than previous regimes. This was an area that Stearns made sure to buy into when he led the Milwaukee Brewers. In his first season with New York, he faced Manaea and Severino, who signed one-year deals last year after battling multiple injuries in recent seasons. With the success of Severino and Manaea, the Mets have shown that they can help veteran pitchers find their form – or simply get better. In Severino’s case, familiarity helped as he knew manager Carlos Mendoza, but pitching coach Jeremy Hefner played an important role in shaping new wrinkles like a two-seam fastball.

“I give the Mets a lot of credit,” Severino said. “Everyone helped me stay healthy this year.”

By having a strong season (3.91 ERA) and reaching his highest innings total (182) since 2018, Severino positioned himself for a solid multi-year deal that teams didn’t offer last winter. He will be 31 in February.

“For me, I have to think about my family first. “What’s best for my family?” Severino said. “In the end I want to compete. I want to be on a team that wants to win a World Series. I have to keep that in mind.”

Winker often referred to playing for the Mets as “a dream.” When the Mets acquired him at the deadline, Winker reunited with Francisco Lindor, with whom he played before turning pro. He really wants to return. He still fits as a left-handed batting corner outfielder who spends most of his time at DH. Still, other teams with dire needs could offer more money or years based on Winker’s bounce-back season. He cut weight, started stealing more bases, and continued to be one of the game’s most disciplined batters.

“That would be incredible,” Winker said of re-signing with the Mets. “That would be great. I really enjoyed being here and playing with these guys and some guys I’ve known since I was a kid. I said it was a dream come true, and it really was. Hopefully I can come back because it was really special to be a part of this team and this organization.”

When asked what his future holds, Martinez, 37, responded with his humor and personality.

“Pickleball? I don’t know,” he said. “I will go home and enjoy my time and see my daughter. Then I start training, crank it up and see what happens. If something happens, it happens, if something doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. We move on from there. I won’t come back because I’m begging to come back. I’ll come back because it makes sense. In the end, time is the most valuable thing. It has to be worth it.”

To be clear, Martinez still wants to play — “1,000 percent,” he said — but it depends on how teams view him. He’s a designated hitter who hasn’t consistently made it into the Mets’ lineup over time. In 495 plate appearances, he hit 16 home runs with a .725 OPS, poor numbers for him, although he still hit balls hard and often made good contact. The Mets were able to sign Martinez because he remained in free agency deep into spring training, even though he hit 33 homers with an .893 OPS a year ago.

“I felt great this year,” Martinez said. “I had that losing streak, but I feel like my expected numbers were good. My body felt great. To me, everything under the hood actually looks better than last year. And I love it. I love hitting baseball. It’s a passion of mine. I want to play.”

Stearns often hit the waiver wire in Milwaukee, but probably never got a more influential minor league signing than Iglesias, who hit .337 and provided the team’s hit song, improving the club’s atmosphere. Iglesias, who would begin his season at age 35, wants to keep playing and said he enjoyed his season in New York. He hasn’t played in the majors since 2022, so it will be interesting to see how clubs view him and his contact-oriented skills this time around, especially after he improves his range and strike rate.

After enduring injury-plagued seasons, Bader remained healthy throughout the season and provided elite defense in center field after signing a one-year deal with the Mets.

“Being available for 162 is something I haven’t done in a long time and that means the world to me and I’m definitely back in the swing of things and a full season in the major leagues,” Bader said. “It feels fantastic. I’m excited about the future of this team and my future.”

There is no guarantee that the connection between Bader and the team will continue. The Mets have Tyrone Taylor, who relieved Bader down the stretch when Bader’s bat went ice cold. Aside from Taylor, who has always profiled as more of a fourth outfielder, the Mets could move Brandon Nimmo back to center field while they wait for one of their prospects like Drew Gilbert. Or they could explore another external route.

“If I’ve learned anything in the last month and a half of my season, it’s that I still have a lot of work to do,” Bader said. “I’m looking forward to attacking it. It was great fun.”

The Mets had interest in Stanek last offseason, so it was no surprise when they acquired him from the Seattle Mariners at the trade deadline. With New York, he became a reliable and powerful backup player late in the postseason. He’s likely to sign another one-year deal somewhere.

“I really enjoyed my time here,” Stanek said. “The organization has treated my family great. I really enjoyed my time in New York. I would be for it if they had me, but it’s obviously not just me. So we’ll see.”

Count Maton as another player who said he would like to return to Flushing. Maton, who has played for some of the most analytical clubs like the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays, was extremely positive about the Mets’ way of helping pitchers through information and communication. His club option for 2025 is probably too expensive ($7.75 million). After signing late in the offseason last winter, Maton, 31, is hoping to find a potential deal sooner this time. He could once again emerge as one of the more interesting right-handed backups.

Quintana, who turns 36 in January, wants to continue pitching.

He has proven that he can continue to do this at a competitive level.

Buoyed by a strong second half, Quintana logged 170 1/3 innings with a 3.75 ERA. Some advanced numbers (4.56 FIP, 105 ERA+) and expected stats aren’t always good for Quintana, who works on the edges of the strike zone and tries to create soft contact. Quintana provides rotations with some length and experience as a back-end starter. The Mets could do worse than bring the left-hander back on a one-year deal or so. He called his two seasons with New York “amazing.”

“I would definitely want to come back here,” Quintana said. “The time I spent here was incredible, and let’s see. I feel great and want to keep doing my thing.”

Both replacements are expected to be free agents but are expected to miss most, if not all, of 2025. Smith underwent right elbow UCL reconstruction with internal brace augmentation in July. Raley underwent Tommy John surgery and may not be ready to return until after his 37th birthday in June. Both pitchers continued to spend time in the Mets’ clubhouse during the playoffs.

The Mets re-signed Ottavino late in the offseason and he missed out on the NLCS roster. With that in mind, it would be somewhat surprising if the Mets brought back the New York native. For the first time in his career, he posted an ERA+ below 100 (91) for a full season. Still, the 38-year-old Ottavino has plenty of experience and has been a leader in the Mets bullpen. He seems prepared to one day become a future manager, coach or leader. He plans to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic and begin a 20th professional season.

(Top photo by Jesse Winker: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)