How Mets can pivot after Yoshinobu Yamamoto's crushing decision

The Mets came up short in the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes, though not due to a lack of trying. On Thursday, the Japanese ace agreed to a 12-year, $325M contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, an offer New York matched, per the New York Post's Mike Puma.

Yamamoto was New York's top free-agent priority the moment the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball posted him. The 25-year-old could've headlined New York's rotation this season and for years to come. With him off the board, the Mets must pivot to Plan B.  

Following the disastrous signings of co-aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, Mets owner Steve Cohen has prioritized signings that set the Mets up for long-term success, as opposed to signings that may pay off only in the short term.

"We’re going to be thoughtful and not impulsive and thinking about sustainability over the intermediate long term, but not focused on winning the headlines over the next week," Cohen told the New York Post after losing out on Yamamoto. "I think there’s a couple of ways to build a team."

The Mets are unlikely to turn to veterans Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery — the best starting pitchers remaining on the free-agent market — due to their age (31 and 30, respectively) and lack of long-term upside. That doesn't mean, however, that New York won't be active in signing players.

Here's a look at three pitchers the Mets can target to improve their rotation:

Brandon Woodruff | free agent

Though Woodruff probably wouldn't be able to help the Mets in 2024, he'd fit nicely in the team's plan to compete for a World Series in 2025 and beyond. The 30-year-old right-hander is set to miss most, if not all, of this season following surgery on his throwing shoulder.

Woodruff became an ace while pitching for the Brewers, posting a career 3.10 ERA over seven seasons with the club and being named an All-Star in 2019 and 2021. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns is familiar with his game, having spent multiple years with him in Milwaukee.

Since Woodruff is likely unable to pitch this season, the Mets could get a sizable discount on a multi-year deal for the top-end starter. 

Shota Imanaga | Japan

The Mets could pivot to another Japanese pitcher after losing out on one of the best. While Imanaga may not be on the same level of excellence as Yamamoto, he has many desirable traits.

For the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball this season, Imanaga posted a 2.66 ERA with 188 strikeouts and an outstanding 29.5% strikeout rate — a higher rate than Yamamoto's. The 30-year-old left-hander has a strong pitching arsenal that features a fastball in the low 90s and a slider that routinely induces swings and misses.

Imanaga could secure a deal similar to Kodai Senga, another Japanese ace, who signed a five-year, $75M contract last offseason with the Mets and placed second in the 2023 NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Lucas Giolito | free agent

New York already has signed a big-name pitcher coming off a down year (Luis Severino, one-year, $13M contract). Now, the Mets could look to add another in Giolito.

The 29-year-old is coming off a disappointing 2023 season in which he went 8-15 with a 4.88 ERA in 33 starts spread across stints with the White Sox, Angels and Guardians. 

Giolito has achieved success in the past, however, securing 10 or more wins in every 162-game season from 2018-2022 (2020 was shortened due to COVID-19). He's also durable, making more than 29 starts in a season five times in his career.