The New York Mets may have a bright future, but they also have a lot of work to do this winter.

Coming off a National League Championship Series appearance, the Mets have 14 free agents, nearly double the number of any other playoff team. The most obvious area this will affect New York is the starting rotation, with three of the four playoff starters now on the open market.

The Mets hope to bring back Sean Manaea, and perhaps they can reunite with Luis Severino as well. But even so, New York would be more of a lock to contend for a pennant in 2025 if they could land a surefire ace, because they cannot be sure Kodai Senga will return to his peak form after missing most of the season due to injury.

Enter Blake Snell, the San Francisco Giants ace who opted out of the second year of the contract he signed late in Spring Training. For the second year in a row, Snell will be one of the top names available in free agency, and this time, he figures to sign a longer-term commitment.

On Wednesday, David Brown of Deadspin predicted that the Mets would win the Snell sweepstakes, signing the two-time Cy Young winner to a five-year, $155 million contract.

“Snell finished with solid results (3.12 ERA with 150 K’s in 104 IP), despite signing late in free agency and missing several starts with minor injuries,” Brown said. “Batters made weak contact against him (.263 slugging, 86 mph average exit velocity), and Snell had the best K% of his career (34.7%).”

Snell might come with more risk than some of the other free-agent pitchers this winter, but the 31-year-old has also been the most dominant by far at his peak. That was more evident than ever from July onward this year, when Snell led the majors with a 1.29 ERA and 105 strikeouts.

The Giants will certainly have something to say about Snell leaving, and at least a half dozen other teams should be in play for such a productive pitcher. But the Mets may just have the deep pockets and the desperation to carry the day once the bidding war begins.