The Mets are gearing up for the Winter Meetings, with a focus on bolstering their pitching lineup. With a dire need for an ace-caliber starter, the team is actively seeking to improve their rotation, which faltered significantly in the second half of the previous season. The Mets' president of baseball operations, David Stearns, has confirmed their aggressive approach to acquiring top-tier arms this winter, emphasizing the value of stabilizing the staff.
The trade market for pitching is heating up, and ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel have ranked the top players who could be traded this winter. Among the 25 players listed, seven are starting pitchers linked to the Mets:
- Tarik Skubal, RHP, Tigers (10% chance of being traded)
- Freddy Peralta, RHP, Brewers (25% chance)
- Hunter Greene, RHP, Reds (10% chance)
- Joe Ryan, RHP, Twins (50% chance)
- Pablo Lopez, RHP, Twins (50% chance)
- Kris Bubic, LHP, Royals (30% chance)
- Mitch Keller, RHP, Pirates (60% chance)
The Mets' strong suit is their farm system, which boasts top-ranked prospects, particularly in pitching, making them an attractive destination for these pitchers. Stearns acknowledges the team's interest in young talent like Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong, but also emphasizes their willingness to trade for immediate improvement.
The Mets are particularly interested in Skubal, who won the Cy Young Award consecutively. Trading for him would provide a spectacular left-handed pitcher for the 2026 season, with an option to sign him as a free agent the following winter. Peralta, Greene, Ryan, and Lopez would all become the Mets' new No. 1 starters, offering varying lengths of team control.
Additionally, the Mets have multiple outfield vacancies, with center field and left field needing new players. Byron Buxton, Jarren Duran, Steven Kwan, Wilyer Abreu, and Luis Robert Jr. are all potential candidates, with varying trade probabilities, aligning with Stearns' focus on run prevention.
