Mets need pitchers who will go deeper into games
Written by Dalton Allison
There have been numerous reports put out about the New York Mets being interested in acquiring starting pitching this season, with Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon reporting that they may be more interested in a trade than acquiring one of the starters left on the market. The need for the Mets should be underscored by pitchers who can last deeper into games, after last year going on a 60 day stretch where only David Peterson could make it past the six-inning mark. Maybe it was bad injury luck or bad conditioning, but there is most likely a correlation between that stat and the fact that the Mets never came back after trailing in the eighth inning last season, finishing 0-70. They need starting pitching that of course is talented, but most importantly take the ball into the sixth inning and further. Looking at the trade market and free agent market, there are some definite options available.
First, taking a look at the free agent market, there may not be a better option for the way David Stearns has operated thus far than to bring back old friend Chris Bassitt. Bassitt is on the older end of the free agent market, but he has proven that he can put up quality starts in New York. His 2022 season will likely always be remembered for his disastrous last regular season start against the Atlanta Braves, but he was successful otherwise during his short stint with the team. He led the rotation in innings pitched with 181.2, and was second on the rotation in strikeouts. At Bassitt’s age (he’ll be 37 on opening day), it is likely that he will not command a contract longer than two seasons maximum, which should have Stearns salivating. A short-term, innings eater that has proven himself in New York could be a great anchor in the middle of the rotation.
Bassitt of course is not the most attractive option out there. Arguably, the most attractive option is Tarik Skubal, but even with him and the Detroit Tigers filing a record-shattering arbitration gap in their contract discussion, it is unknown how available he really is. Another interesting name that has been thrown out there is Mackenzie Gore. While nothing has been reported other than that the Mets are interested in the top starter from the rival Washington Nationals, it is worth noting that Gore has two years of team control left. Gore, despite being an All-Star last season, regressed from an ERA standpoint in 2025. He saw his ERA move above 4.00, but his underlying strikeout statistics showed he has a lot of potential left. His chase percentage, whiff rate, and strikeout percentage all ranked in the upper percentiles last season. Gore threw 159.2 innings last season, which would have put him squarely in third for innings pitched behind Clay Holmes and David Peterson on the 2025 Mets. Put someone with his strikeout talent in the Mets pitching labs that have been highly-rated recently, and Gore might develop into another young frontline starter to pair with Nolan McLean. The complication with Gore of course is that he would be coming from within the division. The Mets would have to weigh whether or not they’d want to acquire Gore and potentially be haunted by their prospects playing for the Nationals down the road.
If Skubal can’t be had and Gore is not available, Sterns may dip back to the Milwaukee Brewers to acquire Freddy Peralta. Peralta does make sense for the Mets in the fact that he, with one year left in his contract, will not bog the Mets down long-term with a high-cost contract. Peralta’s contract may be one of the best values for a starter in recent history, as he is going to cost a mere $8 million next season. If one WAR point is worth approximately $8 million according to FanGraphs, and Peralta comes close to the 5.5 WAR he registered last season, it is easy to see how he could be a tremendous bargain. With 176.2 innings of 2.70 pitching last season, there is no reason to believe he won’t be a bargain again this season. This creates an interesting problem for Stearns to solve. While you are acquiring a player at an unbeatable contract value, how much prospect capital should you be willing to give up if that player is only guaranteed to be on your team for one season?
Despite the slow roll of the offseason, Opening Day will be here in no time. This means that Stearns is on the clock to make the moves that will put this team over the top. As it stands right now, the Mets are projected to be the sixth-best team in baseball based on FanGraphs WAR projections. This projection could go even higher should the Mets acquire a starter that is capable of throwing quality innings deep into games.
If the Mets are interested in competing in 2026 they need an ace whether that’s Peralta or someone else of that caliber via a trade. I like Bassitt and the several pitches he throws, but I agree that he does not move the needle and is more of a 3 or 4 in the rotation. They’ve already got several of those. Suarez could have and should have been signed. To go into a season relying on Senga and Manaea to rebound and put pressure on McClean to be the next Matt Harvey (when he was dominant for a blink) and hope Sproat, Scott and Tong are ready to contribute, is very wishful thinking. Compare that staff to the Dodgers and it’s as if we are an AA pitching staff. To rely on a pen to get 9-12 outs on a daily basis is a critical mistake that was the downfall of the team last year, along with the crappy production from 6-9 in the batting order. If they’d won two of the games when trailing after 8, instead of going 0-70 they would have gotten into the playoffs where anything can happen. Right now, they might be the fourth best team in their own division. C’mon David, we can live with a Baty fill in, in LF, bit can’t live without an ace.
Dalton, Peralta has some built in value for the cheap contract and the Brewers will want talent for that, too. That makes the payment larger than the Mets need to make because the Mets aren’t value shopping. Instead, a more expensive picher keeps the payment lower. For example, if the Mets were to trade Baty to a team without a third baseman - say Seattle - and take back an expensive starter - say Luis Castillo - that makes Metsense. Also in the “need a third baseman” list besides the Brewers, are the Red Sox and the Tigers. Matt Shaw and Eugenio Suarez are out there too, but that’s four seats with only three butts to fill them. Peralta will drain you for one year, but the Brewers want to try to win so that doesn’t make sense. Skubal will really drain you for one year but the kittens are trying to win too. The Red Sox have outfielders to spare and the Mets need one. The Mariners have pitching to spare. Make some calls and see what can be done.