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The New York Mets reportedly remain engaged in the starting pitching market this offseason, both in terms of potential trades and free-agent signings.
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets are continuing to check in on Chicago White Sox hurler Dylan Cease, plus they are monitoring free agents Hyun-Jin Ryu, Sean Manaea and Shōta Imanaga.
The Mets reportedly met with free-agent starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto previously, but he signed a 12-year, $325 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaving the Mets and several other pitching-needy teams to explore backup options.
Per Sherman, the Mets and New York Yankees are both in the running for Cease, as are the Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles, the latter of whom is considered the favorite to land him.
The 28-year-old Cease enjoyed a breakout season in 2022 after establishing himself as a solid starter over the previous two seasons.
Cease finished second in the American League Cy Young Award voting in 2022 by virtue of a 14-8 record, 2.20 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 227 strikeouts over 184 innings pitched.
While Cease was expected to be a superstar from that point forward, he fell off in 2023, going 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 214 strikeouts in 177 innings.
Control has been the biggest issue for Cease, as he has twice led the AL in walks, including his excellent 2022 season when he issued 78 bases on balls. Cease had 79 walks last season, which were the second-most in the AL.
A change of scenery could potentially work wonders for Cease, who is under team control for two more seasons before being eligible to hit free agency.
The biggest sticking point with a Cease trade is likely the asking price as the White Sox want three premium prospects, per Sherman.
If the Mets are unwilling to pay that price, searching for value in free agency may be their best option.
Ryu, 36, was ravaged by injuries over the past two seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, as he was limited to six starts in 2022 and 11 starts last season.
The lefty was solid last season when healthy, though, going 3-3 with a 3.46 ERA for a team that went to the playoffs.
Ryu is best known for his magical 2019 season with the Dodgers when he went 14-5, won the National League ERA title at 2.32 and finished second in NL Cy Young Award voting.
He also finished third in the AL Cy Young Award voting in his first season with the Jays in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.
Like Ryu, the 31-year-old Manaea would be something of a reclamation project, as he struggled at times over the past two seasons with the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants.
Manaea posted a sub-4.00 ERA in four of his six seasons with the Oakland Athletics, including going 11-11 with a 3.91 ERA and striking out a career-high 194 over 179.1 innings in 2021.
Oakland traded Manaea to San Diego, and he was a major disappointment in 2022, going 8-9 with a career-worst 4.96 ERA.
He was slightly better with the Giants last season, going 7-6 with a 4.44 ERA, but he was often deployed as a piggyback to an opener rather than a traditional starter, coming out of the bullpen in 27 of his 37 appearances.
Imanaga is a 30-year-old southpaw who was overshadowed in free agency initially by Yamamoto, who also made the leap from Japan to Major League Baseball.
Playing for the Yokohama Bay Stars of Nippon Professional Baseball, Imanaga has a career record of 64-50 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, while striking out 1,021 batters over 1,002.2 innings.
The two-time NPB All-Star is looking for a contract in the neighborhood of $100 million, according to Imanaga, and he must finalize a deal before his posting period ends Thursday.
While the Mets have clear and obvious pitching needs after trading aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer before the deadline last season, they aren’t likely to invest big, long-term money in a pitcher unless they feel they can help years down the road, especially since the Mets may not line up to be contenders in 2024.
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