The Mets have remained in contact with representatives for some free agent starters, . Britton and Sammon report that right-hander is one of the players with whom New York has touched base. It doesnt seem thats reflective of strong current interest in the 2023 All-Star, however. The Athletic writes that the Mets may be keeping lines of communication open with starters in case they lose another member of their rotation to injury. Presumptive Opening Day starter suffered a strain in his throwing shoulder last week and isnt expected to be ready until sometime in May. [Related: ] Baseball operations president David Stearns said in the wake of the Senga injury that he didnt anticipate itd lead to increased urgency to add another starter. Even if thats currently the case, losing someone else in the next couple weeks could change the calculus. is also out into the middle of the season after undergoing an offseason labrum repair in his left hip. At the moment, the starting five projects as , , , and one of , or . Waiver pickup also holds a 40-man roster spot. The Mets havent added any Bligh Madris Jersey non-roster starting pitchers with MLB experience this offseason. Its a reasonably deep group but one without a clear top-end arm while Senga is on the shelf. To that end, wrote yesterday that the Mets should consider pursuing . The left-hander would knock everyone else down a notch on the rotation depth chart. Unlike , he wouldnt cost the team a draft choice, since Montgomery was ineligible for a qualifying offer because of a midseason trade. Its unclear how much his camp is still seeking. Montgomery was reportedly looking for a deal exceeding the seven years and $172MM which secured early in the offseason. This deep into the winter, a four- or five-year pact appears much more likely. The Mets still dont appear willing to make that level of commitment. writes that the Mets havent been involved on Snell or Montgomery. Martino adds that theyre unlikely to land a starter from the next tier of free agency (e.g. Lorenzen, ) unle s those players asking prices fall. Instead, Martino suggests theyre likely to explore depth additions who could be cut loose by another team at the end of Spring Training or would be amenable to a minor league pact. New York would need to pay a 110% tax on any spending since theyre in the final tier of luxury penalization and have exceeded the threshold in three straight years. Signing Montgomery for $22MM annually, to use a hypothetical, would cost the Mets more than $46MM for the upcoming season after taxes $22MM to the player, $24.2MM in CBT fees. Signing Lorenzen or Clevinger to a $10MM contract would cost the team $21MM. Jonathan Schoop Jersey