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The New York Mets are in desperate need of a retool this offseason.

The club was supposed to contend for a playoff bid in 2021, but that has not come to fruition.

Given that, some things need to change.

The upcoming MLB free-agent class features tons of talent and star players, and New York needs to take advantage of it.

Here are three players the Mets should target if they want to contend in 2022.

3. Robbie Ray

The Mets need to shore up their rotation, and the upcoming free-agent class features countless elite starting pitchers who the team should target.

Robbie Ray is one of them.

He figures to have a big payday in his future.

New York might have to pick its battles financially, but signing Ray would do wonders for the team’s rotation.

The lefty leads the league in ERA (2.72), ERA+ (161), strikeouts (238), WHIP (1.03), and hits per nine (7.1).

He has been utterly dominant all year long, and at 29 years old, he’s still relatively young.

There will definitely be a major marker for the former 12th-round pick, and it will be interesting to see if the Mets insert themselves into it.

2. Marcus Stroman (Re-Sign)

Marcus Stroman is having arguably the best year of his MLB career in 2021.

The 30-year-old old has been lights-out all season long.

He has a 3.00 ERA, 3.43 FIP, and 1.14 WHIP over 32 starts.

After he opted out of the COVID-shortened 2020 season, there were question marks about how Stroman was going to perform this year, but any concerns have been put to rest by now.

The problem?

Stroman is playing on a one-year deal.

The Mets should do everything in their power to bring back the former first-round pick in 2022 (and possibly beyond).

Without him, the team’s rotation would be far worse off.

1. Carlos Correa

The Mets need some infield help, and Carlos Correa could be just the guy.

Correa is a shortstop, but he mentioned earlier in the year that he would willing to switch to third base.

That’s important information for the Mets given the fact that Francisco Lindor will be manning the shortstop position for the foreseeable future.

Correa would provide New York with a massive boost both offensively and defensively.

The two-time All-Star can do it all.

This season, he’s slashing .282/.367/.486 over 140 games.

He has homered 24 times, doubled 34 times, and tripled once.

He has a whopping 6.9 WAR, 2.8 of which comes from his elite infield defense.

Given his involvement in the infamous sign-stealing scandal, Correa might not be the most popular player around, but he’d be a major addition for New York.

Wrap-Up

Mets fans are certainly hoping there are brighter days ahead.

Owner Steve Cohen isn’t satisfied with the way things have gone in 2021, and that’s probably a good thing.

He knows there’s work to be done.

New York’s upcoming offseason is crucial.

If the team makes some key additions, 2022 could look a lot different than 2021.

We’ll have to wait and see how everything unfolds.

The Mets have 10 games remaining in their 2021 campaign.

This article first appeared on The Cold Wire and was syndicated with permission.

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