With free agency set to begin, here are the Mets’ top three priorities: The closer opted out of the final three years of his contract on Monday, a source confirmed, and he’s a priority. The Mets struggled when they lost Diaz for all of 2023, and without him this year, they probably wouldn’t have gotten as close to making the playoffs as they did.

Juan Soto was named a finalist for the National League MVP award alongside presumptive winner Shohei Ohtani and Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber. This is the second consecutive year that a Met will finish the year as an MVP finalist, after Francisco Lindor came in second to Ohtani for the award in 2024.

The New York Mets now have a new target they could pursue this winter to bolster their starting rotation for next season.