The Mets miss Crochet but still need to do something

DALLAS – In their search to improve the rotation, perhaps with a starting pitcher at the forefront, the Mets have been “in constant discussion” and “have had back and forth” with the White Sox over coveted player Garrett Crochet, David Stearns said.

But he added that he didn’t know how seriously the White Sox viewed the Mets as a suitor before dealing Crochet to the Red Sox on Wednesday for a package of four minor leaguers, including two of the top five in their farm system – a Prospect price that the Mets almost certainly couldn’t afford (let alone have the desire for).

“It doesn’t surprise me that the cost of acquiring a top starter represents a significant potential asset,” said Stearns, the president of baseball operations. “That’s the balancing act in all of this: How much future value and how much potential value do you have to give up in the short term?”

As the Mets wrapped up the winter meetings, they still had a lot to do – and apparently money to spend.

Agent Scott Boras, who was negotiating Juan Soto’s 15-year, $765 million contract with owner Steve Cohen and the Mets, expressed the Mets’ desire to continue spending money.

“It’s pretty obvious that the Mets have decided that they’re going to keep chasing wins and victories for a long time,” Boras said. “They have made it very clear to us that they are not limited to signing one great player, but several great players.”

This dynamic would, of course, benefit Boras and his clients, including Pete Alonso. Stearns laughed when informed of Boras’ hiring.

“I’ll let Scott characterize our desires and readiness,” Stearns said. “I will not address the discussions we had with Scott with one of his clients or our approach as a whole.”

The Mets have already exceeded MLB’s original luxury tax limit of $241 million. FanGraphs estimates her 2025 payroll to be $252 million.

The fourth and final threshold for the luxury tax – the so-called Cohen tax – is $301 million. Cohen said in June that he doesn’t want his team’s huge spending to be this high every season, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Stearns has to stay below it this time.

Stearns said Cohen didn’t give him a budget/target number.

“We – Steve and I – talk about investments as they come and players as they become available, and we evaluate every single decision,” Stearns said. “We will continue to make high payrolls, but they are not limitless and I understand that. And even if there isn’t a clear, ‘This is the upper limit,’ I have to be disciplined because there are no limits.”

The Mets’ most obvious remaining needs: a corner infielder and another starting pitcher.

With Soto choosing the Mets, the other available top hitters — like Alonso and Alex Bregman (also a Boras client) — are starting to come into action, Boras said.

“You’re starting to see that the bats, the power, the guys with the core lineup – from our side – are starting to get some real momentum in the market,” he said. “We’ve had preliminary meetings with (teams), but the offers are starting to come in now.”

Stearns described adding a starter as “not a necessity,” which is technically true. They can certainly fill out a potential six-man rotation with the weapons already in-house.

However, they would certainly benefit from bringing in a true No. 1 starter, especially given the uncertainty surrounding Kodai Senga after his injury-plagued 2024.

Stearns said the Mets are “still busy” starting pitchers.

“Because of our financial flexibility entering this offseason, we had the opportunity to be more aggressive in certain areas,” he said. “This is a great opportunity for someone in my position, being able to look at the free agent landscape and have the ability to really negotiate and recruit at all levels of that landscape. That’s something you really enjoy when you’re in my seat.”

Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Tim was born on Long Island and grew up in Connecticut. He previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the Northeast.