A strange thing happened down the stretch in 2025. The New York Mets, who opened the year with a rotation that looked functional, missed the postseason when things started to go south in June, with injuries and key stars struggling to find their footing.

Even with Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, Sean Manaea, David Peterson, Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong all under contract for 2026, the stretch run proved they need more. They need at least one frontline starter, at the very least.

The cost of chasing certainty

That conclusion is exactly what has driven their early offseason behavior. New York has checked in on almost every starter with a pulse in free agency, and they’ve poked around the trade market to see what’s actually attainable. The problem is the same on both fronts: pric

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