In terms of bang for buck, the Mets failed miserably in 2025. But for a roster that entered the season with serious questions surrounding starting pitching to then have a second half of the year blowup because of a lack of starting pitching - this really shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. The 83-win Mets will look to get back into NL East contention in Year 2 of the Juan Soto project, but not before a bevy of changes this winter.

A Bright Spot
Starting Pitching? I know we just made it sound like this was the bain of NY’s existence just a few months ago, but the immediate emergence of young guns Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, & Jonah Tong give the Mets a new jolt of confidence heading into the offseason.

A Big Concern
Opt Outs. 1B Pete Alonso has already exercised his early-termination clause and will hit the open market. Closer Edwin Diaz is almost certain to follow in his footsteps, leaving two giant holes for the Mets to deal with to begin the offseason.

Related Links
2026 Mets Financials
MLB Offseason Guides

Pending Free Agents

It’s a hefty list, full of experienced relievers, notable bench bats, and one of the top free agents in MLB.

PLAYER MARKET VALUE
Pete Alonso (1B, 30) $29.5M
Ryan Helsley (RP, 31) $13.6M
Tyler Rogers (RP, 34) $11.4M
Starling Marte (OF, 37) $7.75M
Gregory Soto (RP, 30) $7M
Cedric Mullins (CF, 31) $6.75M
Jesse Winker (DH, 32) $5.5M
Griffin Canning (SP, 29) $4.6M
Ryne Stanek (RP, 34) $4M

Option Decisions

Diaz is expected to exercise his ETO as he seeks both a raise and a longer term guarantee. Montas & Minter battled injuries in 2025 and are expected to opt-in for financial protection.

PLAYER OPTION SALARY
Edwin Diaz (RP, 31) Opt-Out (2 yrs, $31.8M)
Frankie Montas (SP, 32) $17M player option
A.J. Minter (RP, 32) $11M player option
Brooks Raley (RP, 37) $4.8M club option ($350k buyout)
Drew Smith (RP, 32) $2M club option

Arbitration-Eligibility

Everyone with a $2M+ projection on this list should find them back with the Mets in 2026. The rest are early offseason tossups.

PLAYER PROJ. ARB SALARY
David Peterson (SP, 30) $9.2M
Tyrone Taylor (CF, 32) $3.6M
Luis Torrens (C, 30) $2.9M
Francisco Alvarez (C, 24) $2.25M
Huascar Brazoban (RP, 36) $2M
Tylor Megill (SP, 30) $1.975M
Nick Madrigal (2B, 29) $1.35M
Max Kranick (RP, 28) $1M
Reed Garrett (RP, 33) $950k

Guaranteed Salary

Senga was demoted to finish the 2025 season, making the 2 years, $30M remaining on his contract dicey. McNeil will find his name back in trade conversations again this Winter, while the rest of these players seem locked in.

PLAYER CBT SALARY
Juan Soto (RF, 27) $51M
Francisco Lindor (SS, 32) $34.1M
Sean Manaea (SP, 34) $22M
Brandon Nimmo (LF, 33) $20.25M
Kodai Senga (SP, 33) $15M
Clay Holmes (SP, 33) $12.6M
Jeff McNeil (2B, 34) $12.5M

Team Tax Projections

The Mets found a way to miss the postseason with a $341M tax payroll ($100M over the threshold). They begin 2026 with a roster that projects toward $265M ($22M over the tax line). While roster change is imminent, a sudden drop in overall payroll for the upcoming season isn’t expected.

Spotrac's 2026 MLB Offseason Previews