MLB Free Agency

Catcher Willson Contreras will become a free agent after declining the Chicago Cubs' $19.65 million qualifying offer, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Contreras, who will turn 31 years old in May, is a three-time All-Star who has spent his entire seven-year MLB career with the Cubs. He had 22 home runs, 55 RBI and an .815 OPS in 113 games last season.

Heyman noted that Contreras "should do extremely well on the open market."

The Detroit Tigers already appear to have interest, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network:

The Houston Astros had been interested at the trade deadline, so much so that they and the Cubs agreed to a deal that would have sent starting pitcher Jose Urquidy to the Windy City pending ownership approval, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. But that approval never occurred.

Elsewhere, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote last month that "the Cardinals should strongly consider benefitting from the Cubs' loss" of Contreras.

Regardless of where Contreras winds up, that team will get one of the best offensive catchers in baseball.

Only two catchers with 300 or more at-bats last season had a better OPS than Contreras. One was his brother, William Contreras of the Atlanta Braves. The other was J.T. Realmuto of the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies. Willson Contreras is good enough at the dish to serve as a designated hitter, which he did 39 times last season.

The cost to sign Contreras certainly won't be cheap, though. Heyman reported in June that Contreras would "likely be seeking" a deal of more than $100 million over five years.

That could be worth it for a player of his caliber, and Contreras will be one to watch as the hot-stove season rolls on.

The New York Mets are reportedly "most worried" about the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers as they attempt to re-sign starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, who opted out of his contract to become a free agent.

SNY's Andy Martino reported Tuesday the Mets are expected to make a "strong" offer to bring back deGrom early in free agency but aren't planning to stay in a long-term bidding war with the Braves, Rangers and other interested clubs if that's how the situation plays out.

Martino also noted the two sides have had "preliminary contact":

The top of New York's pitching staff is the main point of concern as free agency gets prepared to open Thursday, especially after the team was able to re-sign closer Edwin Diaz to solidify the back end of the bullpen.

There are a lot of question marks behind Max Scherzer, which means multiple additions could be necessary if Carlos Carrasco and Chris Bassitt also depart.

DeGrom coming back would provide a major boost, but it doesn't sound like the Mets' front office is willing to meet or exceed any offer to keep him.

The club is willing to pay fair market value or "perhaps go a bit higher" but will otherwise attempt to fill the void in another way, per Martino.

Watching the two-time Cy Young Award winner, who's pitched his entire nine-year career with the Mets, land with the NL East rival Braves would be a tough pill to swallow, though.

Atlanta already features one of MLB's best rotations with Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Kyle Wright and Charlie Morton, and picking up a starter with a 2.52 ERA across 209 career starts would give the Braves the best starting group in baseball.

Meanwhile, deGrom represents a bigger need for the Rangers, who have more talent on their roster than their 68-94 record in 2022 would indicate. One of the missing pieces is a true ace.

In October, Texas general manager Chris Young didn't hide his intention to enter free agency with an eye toward improving the rotation.

"We will be active on the free-agent market with the intention of signing multiple starting pitchers," Young told reporters.

Landing deGrom would be a massive step in the right direction toward rebuilding that area of the roster.

All told, it's hard to imagine the Mets won't do everything in their power to keep their longtime ace, but all signs point toward ample competition on the market.

New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler is reportedly "less likely" to target free agents who receive qualifying contract offers from their current teams.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday the Mets are wary of losing draft picks as compensation for those possible signings, which could impact their pursuit of New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge or San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Carlos Rodón.

The Mets have been frequently mentioned as a possible landing spot for Judge, who launched 62 home runs in 2022, but that's more related to the big-spending ways of team owner Steve Cohen than a glaring need in the outfield.

New York's projected outfield starters for 2023 are Jeff McNeil, Starling Marte and Mark Canha. That's not to say the longtime Yankees slugger wouldn't upgrade that group, but there are certainly bigger issues for the front office to address heading into the offseason.

The club must solidify its starting rotation, especially if Jacob deGrom leaves in free agency, vastly improve the bullpen and potentially find new starters at second base and catcher.

That's a lot of money to spend, either via free-agent signings or trade acquisitions, before even considering whether to offer upward of $300 million to Judge.

The Mets could still pursue the four-time All-Star, but it'll more likely happen if his free-agent process drags out a bit to give them time to fill other holes first and get some financial clarity.

Meanwhile, Rodón seems like an ideal fit on paper as a high-end lefty starter who could complement Max Scherzer and deGrom, if re-signed.

The 29-year-old Miami native recorded a 2.88 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 237 strikeouts in 178 innings for the Giants this season. That followed up a 2021 season with the Chicago White Sox where he compiled a 2.37 ERA.

Ultimately, if the Mets aren't interested in relinquishing draft picks as part of their free-agent efforts, it's going to limit the number of impact players they'll be able to pursue.

It wouldn't be a surprise if that stance changes at some point over the winter if the club's roster-building process isn't yielding the desired results.