The Mets were expected to extend a qualifying offer of $21.05 million to Sean Manaea and Luis Severino

While the Mets still have a lot to do this season, including perhaps reaching their first World Series since 2015 and winning their first since 1986, the final qualifying offer calculation of $21.05 million reminds us just how close many important off-season issues are .

And here’s one that should be easy for the Mets: place the qualifying offer on Sean Manaea and Luis Severino.

An NL executive who wasn’t with the Mets called it “a no-brainer,” and he meant it for all 30 clubs. Things are much simpler for Steve Cohen’s Mets.

Consider that Cohen agreed to pay Max Scherzer $30.83 million and Justin Verlander $25 million not to pitch for the Mets this year. So even if you view the $42.1 million total spend on Manaea/Severino in 2025 as a gamble – and I don’t – it’s still a gamble on pitchers either pitching for the Mets or giving them one Give draft pick compensation.