The New York Mets were aggressive in free agency before baseball's lockout began Dec. 1, and it looks like they may have their eyes on another big addition in first baseman Freddie Freeman.
New York was one of the teams that checked in on Freeman's availability, ESPN's Buster Olney reported on Thursday's edition of "The Michael Kay Show."
The Mets spent $254.5 million before the lockout to sign Max Scherzer, Starling Marte, Mark Canha, and Eduardo Escobar, pushing their payroll to the highest in baseball. But, it appears that wouldn't deter owner Steve Cohen from spending more to acquire Freeman, who is reportedly at a contract impasse with the Atlanta Braves because he's seeking a six-year, $180-million pact.
"It's very interesting 'cause you just talked about Steve Cohen saying, 'You know what, I don't care what the (competitive balance tax) is, unlike the Red Sox, Yankees, and Dodgers. I'm just going to spend what I need to spend in order to win.' And if he blows past $300 million it really doesn't matter at this point," Olney said.
The Mets already employ first baseman Pete Alonso, but Olney suggested the slugger would be open to moving to designated hitter full time if New York signed Freeman. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said earlier in February the National League will use a DH in 2022.
Freeman remains one of the top free agents available after helping the Braves win the World Series in 2021. The 32-year-old slashed .300/.393/.503 with 31 home runs and 83 RBIs last season, his 12th with Atlanta.
