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

Although the Mets’ 2024 season is now over, the MLB calendar continues to move forward. Here are the key steps the team will take as it builds its 2025 roster:

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

During this period, the Mets can negotiate with their own free agents, but all options (team, player, vesting or mutual) must be exercised or rejected before the period ends.

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

Free agents pending:
1B Pete Alonso, OF Harrison Bader, RHP Shintaro Fujinami, INF Jose Iglesias, DH JD Martinez, RHP Adam Ottavino, LHP José 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 a lot of money to spend and has been linked to several prominent free agents outside 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 both 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 embraced his hit. OMG.” His .830 OPS far exceeded expectations after he signed a minor league deal last December.

Alonso, who turns 30 in December, is just 27 home runs away from becoming the Mets’ all-time career scoring leader. His crucial three-run homer in the ninth inning of Wild Card Series Game 3 reignited the Mets’ postseason run, sending them to the NL Division Series and ultimately the NL Championship Series. He kept his momentum going throughout the postseason, hitting three more home runs and reaching base multiple times in each of his last three games.

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

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 through 2025.

Other important dates