One thing that has been shown over the last few years is that if there is an elite player available in free agency, the Mets are at least going to try to be involved. Sometimes they will land that player, like Juan Soto, and other times they won’t, like Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
There are few things as exciting in the hot stove season as blockbuster signings or trades. And there will be plenty of written and spoken words about some of the top-tier talent on the market, such as Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger.
However, the best organizations are the ones that excel at the margins. Star players certainly are needed and are important, but extracting value from the middle parts of a roster is how a complete team is put together.
This is something the Mets excelled at in 2024, with Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, Jose Iglesias, and eventually Jesse Winker among those who provided big value.
There wasn’t that same level of success in 2025, with Clay Holmes, Brooks Raley and Griffin Canning (prior to his injury) standing out as wins for the Mets.
While fans will surely celebrate the big moves that are made this offseason, the under-the-radar additions should not be discounted.
Here are five under-the-radar free agents the Mets should pursue this winter…
RHP Emilio Pagán
This might be the least under-the-radar of the names you will read on this list.
The 34-year-old Pagán posted a 2.88 ERA in 70 games with 28 saves as the Reds’ closer in 2025. He struck out 81 batters in 68.2 innings and posted a 0.92 WHIP.
The Mets currently do not have a closer, and this isn’t necessarily advocating signing Pagán in that role. Re-signing Diaz is the top option, with names like Robert Suarez or Devin Williams as potential fallback options.
The Mets need, in the words of David Stearns, “multiple relievers.”
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Emilio Pagan (15) throws against the Chicago Cubs in the ninth inning at Great American Ball Park / Aaron Doster – Imagn Images
Beyond the closer role, the Mets have Raley, A.J. Minter, and Huascar Brazóban as established relievers in the bullpen — that’s it.
Pagán hasn’t historically been a closer, so a move to a setup role on a contender could appeal to him.
This past year he had a plus strikeout rate of 30 percent and a near average walk rate of 8.1 percent. Pagán averaged 96 mph on his fastball that he threw over 61 percent of the time, and graded as a plus pitch with +9 run value.
His best secondary pitch is a mid-80s splitter that generated a 40.7 percent whiff rate — and batters hit only .121 against it.
It is unlikely Pagán will command more than a two-year deal, and as a setup man, he could make an overhauled Mets bullpen deeper and more secure.
RHP Nick Martinez
Martinez had an excellent 2024 season with the Reds, posting a 3.10 ERA in 42 appearances (16 starts).
This led to him receiving and accepting the qualifying offer to return to Cincinnati in 2025.
The 35-year-old didn’t have quite the same success, with a 4.45 ERA in 40 appearances (26 starts) across 165.2 innings.
Where Martinez brings value is his Swiss-army knife-like versatility as a pitcher. He can be a starter, he can be a standard reliever, and he can be a swing-man.
He is not the hardest thrower — he will average just around 93 mph on his fastball and throw the kitchen sink with six pitches, according to Statcast.
Martinez’s game is based on throwing strikes, missing barrels and avoiding hard contact. He is not someone who can be relied on for a lot of swing-and-miss, as he routinely has had a below-average strikeout rate.
After a 2025 season where the Mets starters struggled to provide length, a pitcher like Martinez could have help bridge the gap in some of those games.
He could be an option on a one-year deal to help fill quite literally whatever role it is that the Mets wanted him to.
RHP Zach Eflin
The Mets are likely to be in pursuit of starting pitching help closer to the top of the trade and free agent market.
In 2025, New York’s starting pitching fell off after May. Part of that was the fact that they more or less ran out of starters due to injuries.
Even if the Mets do acquire a frontline starter, veteran depth at the back end is something they also need.
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Zach Eflin (24) throws against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Reggie Hildred – Imagn Images
The 31-year-old Eflin pitched through back discomfort in 2025, which led to his least productive season in nearly a decade, posting a 5.93 ERA in 71.1 innings. He eventually underwent back surgery, but is expected to be full-go for spring training.
In 2023 and 2024, he combined to make 59 starts, posting a 3.54 ERA while averaging 171 innings per season.
Eflin is one of the best strike-throwers in baseball, ranking in the 98th percentile or better in walk percentage each of the last three seasons. When he is right, he throws six pitches that generate plus chase rate numbers and keeps the ball on the ground with weak contact. And the Mets have upgraded their infield defense with the addition of Marcus Semien.
If his back checks out on a physical, Eflin could fit in as a No. 4, borderline No. 3 type of starter that — depending on how all the puzzle pieces of the Mets rotation fit — could be an option as a second starter added.
OF Rob Refsnyder
After the trade of Brandon Nimmo, the Mets have two holes in the outfield that need to be filled.
One of the candidates is Mets No. 2 prospect Carson Benge.
The left-handed hitting Benge improved against left-handed pitching as the 2025 campaign wore on. He ultimately hit .232 with a .733 OPS against southpaws, but it is not abnormal for a young player to have platoon splits.
However, it could be in the Mets’ best interest to pair Benge with a right-handed hitter, at least early in his career.
/ SNY
There are few hitters in baseball that hit left-handed pitching the way the 35-year-old Refsnyder does.
In 138 plate appearances against left-handed pitching in 2025, Refsnyder hit .302 with a .959 OPS with seven home runs and 25 RBI. He can consistently find the barrel and posts plus exit velocity and hard-hit rates.
If a one-year sample size isn’t enough, in 2024 he posted very similar numbers, hitting .302 with a .941 OPS with eight home runs and 23 RBI in 145 plate appearances against lefties.
Refsnyder is a tick below-average defensively, grading out at -1 OAA for range, though he does have a plus arm — with his arm strength grading above the 80th percentile in each of the last three seasons.
He has played exclusively in the corner outfield spots the last few seasons, but has some experience playing first base as well.
The Mets could do a whole lot worse than a Benge/Refsnyder platoon situation in a corner outfield spot.
RHP Jacob Webb
Webb was non-tendered by the Rangers last week after posting a 3.00 ERA in 55 games out of the bullpen.
He has quietly been a consistent reliever the last three years, posting a combined 3.22 ERA in 176.1 innings and striking out 173. His strikeout rate did drop some in 2025 at 21.7 percent, which is just below average.
He has often outperformed his expected ERA, but if a pitcher does that three years in a row, that can’t just be luck.
While his fastball averaged just 93.4 mph, it graded out as a plus pitch with a plus-7 run value grade as he gets some good ride on it. Opposing batters only hit .186 against the heater. Webb’s mid-80s changeup was his best swing-and-miss pitch, generating a whiff rate of over 35 percent as opposing batters hit just .208 against it. His sweeper did not grade out as well as it did in 2024, so perhaps this is something that can be tweaked by new pitching coach Justin Willard.
Webb might profile best as a middle reliever. But while the Mets need to fill out the end of games as mentioned above, they also need middle relief help. Webb could be a value add in that role, likely on a one-year deal.
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