The Mets need starting pitching. They've needed it for several years now.
In 2025, their depth evaporated down the stretch, so they missed the playoffs. In 2026, their depth imploded early, so they never recovered. To make the playoffs in 2027, they will need more of it.
Exactly what they have, and therefore what they need, is in the eye of the beholder. But a few things are indisputable: Nolan McLean looks like a No. 1. Christian Scott and Zac Thornton look like promising middle-of-the-rotation options whose second full seasons should test their stamina and ability to adjust more than their first. The best versions of all three combine to make a promising young core.
Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga are veterans on expensive, though expiring, contracts, meaning jettisoning either will be easier this season should either underperform again. Senga wants to start but could prove more valuable to the 2027 pitching staff out of the bullpen. Andy Green made clear that Manaea cannot lose his velocity again and be an effective member of their rotation going forward. The best versions of both are competitive starting options.
As for depth beyond that, the best version of Tobias Myers could offer starting depth. Tylor Megill is expected to be back from Tommy John surgery and training as a starter entering spring training. He has a 4.46 ERA in 88 career appearances.
Green said Jonah Tong must pitch his way into the rotation next year but did not rule out the possibility that he could do so. Jonathan Santucci will be one step away from his debut. If Jack Wenninger can overcome his tendency to walk batters, he will likely be an emergency start candidate, as well.
Exactly how President of Baseball Operations David Stearns views that depth is a different question. Stearns traded for Freddy Peralta last year when his rotation already included Clay Holmes and McLean as top-end options. He does not seem likely to be satisfied with McLean at the top and his fingers crossed that Scott, Thornton, Manaea or others can lock down the spots behind him. But exactly how many acquisitions they need to make remains unclear.
“I do think it is necessary for us to add to our starting rotation. We can do that in a variety of different ways,” Stearns said at his end-of-season press conference. “You’d always love to add to the top of their rotation. Any team would love to do that. Over the long term, we need to develop pitchers for the top of our rotation and I think we are proving we can do that and will continue to do that.
"We also need to make sure we have more options, and we need to make sure we have the flexibility that allows us to go and get those options when they’re needed. And we’ll be focused on that aspect of rotation building as well.”
If the Mets decide they need a proven ace (or two) to take the weight off McLean’s shoulders and insulate against injury, they have plenty of options.
Tarik Skubal is a possibility. Unlike other contenders who might chase him, the Mets have plenty of big contracts and financial outlays coming off their ledger after 2027, meaning any salary limitations that result from a new collective bargaining agreement would not necessarily hold them back from making the move.
They need an ace, have Steve Cohen’s money, and can promise commitment to winning — if not the actual winning, so far. Skubal’s preferences will likely become clearer after the World Series, when his free agency officially begins. But as of the last week in October, the Mets should have as good a chance to sign him as anybody, provided Cohen and Stearns decide he is worth an exception to the latter’s rules against long-term deals for starters.
Holmes could also be a candidate for a return. As of this week, he is expected to opt out of his current deal, and people familiar with his thinking say he is open to a return to the Mets if the right deal is offered. He did, after all, thrive in Queens as a starter — so much so that he will likely receive a far bigger contract as a free agent than he probably would have if the Mets had not given him the chance to jump out of the bullpen.
Other veterans available in free agency include Michael King, who can opt out from his current deal with the Padres and has proven himself capable of pitching in New York, and Nick Martinez, who has looked strong this postseason and has a mutual option with the Tampa Bay Rays. Trevor Rogers turned his career around with the Baltimore Orioles, though his track record of starting success is shorter than most top-end free agent types. Casey Mize, Robbie Ray, and Tyler Mahle are all veteran types who could slide into the middle of the rotation and provide experience if young pitchers regress or stumble.
The trade market, too, could offer some high-end options: New front office staffer Derek Falvey’s connection to Minnesota Twins starter Joe Ryan could make him an enticing trade target, someone who could serve at the top of the Mets rotation and is under contract for $13 million next year before hitting free agency.
Should the Rays somehow decide playoff hero Drew Rasmussen’s $20 million option for next year is too expensive, the Mets could try to pull off a deal for him as well. Maybe the Miami Marlins would finally trade Sandy Alcantara ahead of his option year. Any of them would improve the Mets depth in the short term without handcuffing them financially long-term should a new CBA lead to the phasing in of salary limits.
The Seattle Mariners, who likely need a jolt after a disappointing season, have long seemed on the verge of trading one of their many starting pitchers. George Kirby (under contract through 2028) or Logan Gilbert (under contract through 2027) could help immediately without much long-term risk and could be attainable thanks to the prospect depth the Mets built at this year’s trade deadline.
But Stearns’s mention of “flexibility” suggests his view of pitching depth does not necessarily include more veteran starters on major league contracts who are either expensive to part with, impossible to option out of the rotation if they struggle, or both.
Part of the reason the Mets struggled to find their footing early in 2026, for example, was that both Senga and Manaea were struggling, but neither really fit in the bullpen or comfortably head to the minors. An injury to Senga helped the Mets clear his rotation spot without needing to cut him entirely, but acquiring a full array of veteran starters would leave their ability to make changes somewhat limited again.
As such, it seems Stearns and Co. might also be pursuing younger, more flexible starting options that could provide both major league rotation depth and multi-inning bullpen capabilities — like Myers was trying to last year — as well.
Myers is out of options this year. Megill, importantly, has one remaining. Pitchers who are optionable, can handle starting, but could potentially also serve in the bullpen are not easy to find; any team with young, flexible pitching depth is not exactly rushing to part with it.
So perhaps Stearns simply means the Mets will plan some reclamation projects with minor league free agents and hope they catch lightning in a bottle they can option when times get tough.
But perhaps teams in need of overhaul would be willing to trade players in need of a change of scenery. Could a new Houston Astros GM entertain a trade for Hunter Brown, for example? Could the Cleveland Guardians try to upgrade elsewhere by dealing from the back end of their young rotation depth? The Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds and others have pitching depth from which to deal and payrolls they love to keep down — a promising combination when chasing pitchers who are on the early side of arbitration.
Regardless, that flexibility part of Stearns’s vision will be the most fascinating to watch — particularly in an offseason that could include a lot of free agent shuffling before the lockout and a lot of frenetic maneuvering after it. Stearns said it: The Mets need better starting pitching depth than they had in 2026. That rotation began with two more proven starters (Holmes and Peralta) than it currently has right now. The market will offer plenty of options. Now all they have to do is get it right.