Mets Miss on Yamamoto. What's Next?

Posted by Patrick Gorman 12/24/2023

On late Thursday night rumors started coming out about the prized Japanese Ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and his desire to play. For starters, I always thought he was going to be a Met because Ohtani's contract would drive the Dodgers out and I never thought The Yankees would pay him more than Gerrit Cole. However, my opinion completely changed when Ohtani decided to defer almost all of his salary just so that The Dodgers can keep spending on top tier talent. Once that got out I knew that he was going to be a Dodger and that we were going to be used for leverage because of Cohen's unlimited resources.

It was pretty much a Yamamoto or Bust off-season and we got bust, but that doesn't mean The Mets went out without a fight. I am very upset that we did not land this unicorn of a free agent, but Steve Cohen did everything he could from flying to Japan to meet Yamamoto's family and inviting him to his own home for a fine meal. I know a lot of fans voiced their outrage by The Mets not being the highest bidder, but they never got the chance to even up the price when Los Angeles matched the offer. Yamamoto never wanted New York at all, he always wanted to play with Ohtani and now the big question is this: What's next?

From numerous industry sources they all think The Mets won't pivot to the next big name such as Blake Snell or even Jordan Montgomery. It is a tough pill to swallow, but this is the smartest plan for them as this fits their 2025 and beyond plan. I expect a more one year patch deals for the rotation such as Michael Lorenzen and Lucas Giolito. This doesn't mean The Mets are "punting" in 2024 as they are continuing solid players to round out the roster. A key example is the recent trade with The Brewers where they acquired SP Adrian Houser and OF Tyrone Taylor.

Houser is a key upgrade for the backend of the rotation compared to Carlos Carrasco. He has been a mainstay in the Brewers pitching staff in the past couple seasons. In 2023, Houser started in 21 games posting a 4.12 ERA while throwing 111.1 innings. Houser will be a significant piece as that backend rotation option in 2024. Tyrone Taylor is pretty much Michael A. Taylor, but significantly cheaper. Taylor has sneaky pop, can steal bases, and plays elite defense in all 3 outfield positions. I think The Mets goal for this season is to field a competitive team that can backdoor their way into the playoffs and hope to make noise.