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Julio Urias (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
The Mets need starting pitching next year, that certainly isn’t a secret of any kind.Â
After trading away Max Scherer and Justin Verlander at the trade deadline, the organization will have Kodai Senga, Jose Quintana, David Peterson, Tylor Megill, and Joey Lucchesi as the only pitchers with MLB experience under contract next season.Â
Senga has passed every test that comes with making the difficult jump from Japan to the majors with flying colors in an All-Star rookie season and Quintana has proven to be a reliable southpaw early in his Mets career. But Carlos Carrasco has played himself off the team this season with an ERA over 6.00, and major questions still loom over Megill, Peterson, Lucchesi with some young arms in the pipeline (Mike Vasil, Justin Jarvis) potentially making a push for the MLB roster come spring.
In theory, two arms are needed to stabilize the rotation and create legitimate depth — it just comes down to how much money owner Steve Cohen is looking to spend. After the trade deadline sale, general manager Billy Eppler and Cohen hinted that the Mets were shifting their focus toward legitimate World Series contention in 2025, meaning the spending won’t be as frenzied this winter.Â
Regardless, the free-agent market this winter will be flush with starting pitching talent. Here are seven options the Mets could pursue to build the staff back up.
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The Blockbusters
Shohei Ohtani: The Angels’ collapse after going all in at the trade deadline all but seals the superstar’s fate in Los Angeles after another lost season. Ohtani himself is putting up historic numbers once again, slashing .306/.407/.664 (.1070 OPS) with 43 home runs and 89 RBI at the plate. On the mound, he’s 10-5 with a 3.37 ERA and 165 strikeouts in 130.2 innings. The Mets said they won’t be in the market for top-tier…
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