NEW YORK – Aside from Juan Soto, the Mets still need some pitching to make this offseason a success.

They were well aware of this deficiency and struck another deal on Wednesday to address the issue. According to a source, they agreed to a one-year, $4.25 million contract with right-hander Griffin Canning that includes up to $1 million in bonuses. The Mets have not confirmed the deal pending a physical.

Canning joins a group of starting players that may lack proven talent up front, but are getting bigger every week. The Mets have a clear top four with Kodai Senga, Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes and David Peterson, all of whom should appear in a specific order on Opening Day. Behind them are Canning, Paul Blackburn, Tylor Megill and José Buttó, who could also be in the starting eleven. The Mets also have some depth of prospects in Brandon Sproat (the club’s No. 1 prospect), Blade Tidwell (No. 8), and Nolan McLean (No. 9), among others.

The newest member of that family, Canning is coming off a down year in which he posted a 5.19 ERA despite pitching a career-high 171 2/3 innings and making 32 appearances (31 starts) for the Angels. He struck out just 6.8 batters per nine innings, a career low, while posting a below-average walk rate, suffering a significant drop in velocity, and allowing an American League-high 99 earned runs.

After the World Series, the Angels traded Canning to the Braves for outfielder Jorge Soler, which amounted to a pay cut for Atlanta to get Soler off its books. A few weeks later, the Braves non-tendered Canning and made him a free agent.

Despite Canning’s shaky turn of events, the Mets are banking on his history as a capable innings eater. Before last season, Canning had a career 99 ERA+, which was almost exactly league average. He has a 4.78 ERA in 99 major league appearances, 94 as a starter. Since returning from a stress fracture in his lower back that cost him the 2022 season, Canning has also been durable, throwing 298 2/3 innings over the past two seasons. He was the Angels’ second-round draft pick in 2017.

Whether the Mets can use their pitching lab to turn him into a useful starter again remains to be seen. Best-case scenario, Canning could serve them as a solid arm in the middle rotation, throwing in the mid-90s like he did in 2023. At worst, he’s a $4.25 million gamble with an accessible minor league option. The more pitchers like Canning the Mets employ, the better chance they have of hitting one or two of them.

“That’s something we talk about a lot – the desire to make sure that we have eight to 10 starting players somewhere in our organization that we really believe can contribute over the course of the season,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said last week at the winter meetings.

Although Stearns did not respond to a message late Wednesday seeking updated clarity on his pitching plans, the addition of Canning should not impact other rotation activities for a Mets team that features Sean Manaea and Walker Buehler, among others is associated. The Mets also remain candidates for a trade for a regular player.

But Stearns was noncommittal last week, saying he doesn’t necessarily feel the need to add more proven veterans to his rotation.

“We will continue to evaluate the market and see an opportunity there to sign players who we believe will make us better. We will definitely pursue that,” Stearns said. “But with some of the (pitching) moves that we’ve been able to make and that we’re working on, I think we’re getting to a level where it’s no longer a necessity.”