New York Mets 2024-25 Offseason Outlook; Free agents and important dates you should know

After starting the 2024 season 0-5 and falling 11 games under .500 in May, the New York Mets exceeded all expectations and came within two wins of a World Series berth. Their remarkable run ended Sunday night with a 10-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 6 of the NLCS.

Although the Mets' 2024 season is now in the past, the MLB calendar continues to move forward. Here are the key steps the team will take in building its 2025 roster:

Free agency
The day after the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers complete the World Series, all 30 MLB clubs can begin trading. Experienced players with expiring contracts immediately become free agents, but cannot sign with or talk to other teams until a five-day rest period has expired.

During this window, the Mets may negotiate with their own free agents, but all options (team, player, vesting or reciprocity) must be exercised or declined before the end of the period.

The same goes for teams that want to make qualifying offers. If a player declines the offer and signs elsewhere, the original team will receive various forms of draft pick compensation. According to ESPN insider Kiley McDaniel, the qualifying offer will reach an all-time high of $21.05 million this offseason. Here's a look at the players New York could potentially lose:

Pending free agents:
1B Pete Alonso, OF Harrison Bader, RHP Shintaro Fujinami, INF Jose Iglesias, DH JD Martinez, RHP Adam Ottavino, LHP Jose Quintana, LHP Brooks Raley, RHP Luis Severino, RHP Drew Smith, RHP Ryne Stanek, OF Jesse Winker

Options:
LHP Sean Manaea (opt-out), RHP Phil Maton (club)

A note on New York's free agents
New York has plenty of money to spend and has been linked to several prominent free agents outside of their organization, including outfielder Juan Soto of the New York Yankees and starting pitcher Corbin Burnes of the Baltimore Orioles

With the potential loss of Alonso and Iglesias, the makeup of the Mets' clubhouse could look very different in 2025. Iglesias, 34, played a key role in fostering the team's fun atmosphere in 2024, as players and fans sang his hit song “OMG.” His OPS of .830 far exceeded expectations after he was signed to a minor league contract last December had signed.

Alonso, who turns 30 in December, is just 27 home runs away from becoming the Mets' all-time hitter. His game-winning three-run home run in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the Wild Card Series revitalized the Mets' postseason run, leading them to the NL Division Series and ultimately the NL Championship Series. He maintained his momentum throughout the postseason, hitting three more home runs and reaching base multiple times in each of his final three games.

The Mets could also face significant turnover in their rotation with three of their top starters poised to leave in free agency. Severino, Quintana and Manaea combined to make 94 starts in 2024 with a 3.71 ERA over 534 innings.

Manaea has one year and $13.5 million remaining on his current contract, while Severino and Quintana will both be unrestricted free agents. If the Mets pick up Maton's option, they will owe him $7.75 million in 2025.

Other important dates