Mets ambitious offseason plans don't stop with Juan Soto

The New York Mets are in a great spot. On the postseason bubble, with a bonafide MVP candidate in Francisco Lindor and one of the most aggressive front offices in the league. If the 2024 season doesn't pan out, New York fans can look ahead to 2025 with great anticipation, because this winter could swing heavily in the Mets' favor.

We all know Juan Soto is the Mets' No. 1 target. If he doesn't return to the New York Yankees, odds are Soto will simply move across boroughs to Queens. The Mets are sure to offer the most money and, quite possibly, the best competitive odds. Just imagine saying that a year ago. Oh, how times have changed.

Other teams will join the fray for Soto, but his contract is going to push $600 million and only a few franchises can truly afford such a number. The Mets can afford it most of all, and Steve Cohen generally commits to winning when the moment arrives.

That is not the end of New York's ambitious offseason plans, though. The Mets could take multiple bites out of the free agency apple, with another top-line target recently connected to the franchise.

According to Jon Heyman of the local New York Post, Baltimore Orioles ace Corbin Burnes is another potential target for the Metropolitan club.

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Mets expected to target Corbin Burnes as free agency frenzy edges closer

Burnes will be the best pitcher available this winter, depending on how Gerrit Cole's situation unfolds with the Yankees. Even if Cole magically hits the open market, though, Burnes is having the better season and he's four years younger, so there won't be a more sought-after commodity on the mound. So popular Burnes will be, that his contract could creep across the ultra-rare $300 million threshold.

Again... only so many teams have that type of money. We've seen the Mets go out of their way to load up on expensive pitchers (see: Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer). Burnes isn't approaching his 40th birthday. He should have at least half a decade of ace-level production left in the tank before New York needs to worry about the longevity factor. Pitching injuries can strike at random, but Burnes has been a paragon of reliability in recent years. He's on track for his fourth straight season with at least 28 starts and his fifth straight top-10 finish in Cy Young voting.

As Heyman notes, the Mets' pitching staff is about to receive a drastic makeover. Luis Severino, Jose Quintana, and Sean Manaea are all free agents at season's end. New York has the capital to re-sign all of them, but the Mets' rotation hasn't been the most reliable in recent years. A change of pace could prove beneficial, especially if it involves planting Burnes and Kodai Senga at the top of New York's five-man group.

This is another opportunity for the Mets to stick it to the Yankees, too. Just imagine if the Mets pry Juan Soto out of Yankee Stadium, then turn around and snatch the Yanks' favorite big-money alternative. It's a glorious thought.