Three reasons why Mets need Nolan McLean to be great immediately

Here are three reasons why the New York Mets need Nolan McLean to be great right away.

Mar 15, 2024; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean participates in the Spring Breakout game in the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The New York Mets are in a bit of a free fall, and it is fair to start to panic about the current situation.

For a good chunk of the first half of the season, the Mets were in first place in the National League East, and they were performing like one of the best teams in baseball. The offense was hitting, the bullpen was doing well enough, and their starting pitching was the best in baseball.

Unfortunately, a lot of those areas have done a complete reversal. The starting rotation has fallen on some hard times, with pitchers not going deep into games and not pitching well either.

Recently, the team moved Frankie Montas to the bullpen, and that cleared a path for top prospect Nolan McLean to make his way to the majors. The Mets' top pitching prospect will be starting on Saturday against the Seattle Mariners, and the team is going to have high expectations for him.

Here are three reasons why New York needs the young right-hander to be great.

Rotation in Shambles

Aug 9, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Mets pitcher Frankie Montas (47) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the second inning at American Family Field. | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Read More: New York Mets make major Frankie Montas announcement

The most obvious reason the Mets need McLean to be great is that pretty much their entire pitching staff isn’t performing well. While the right-hander will be coming in to take Montas’ spot, that easily also could have been to take Clay Holmes’ spot in the rotation.

If McLean can perform well early on, he should be able to solidify his spot in the rotation rather quickly. There isn’t much that is going right for this unit, and the right-hander might be the spark that it needs.

Reds Heating Up

Aug 7, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) looks on at the batting cage before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

After winning a series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Cincinnati Reds are catching up quickly to the Mets for the final Wild Card spot in the NL. Everyone has been waiting to see if one of these teams in the NL was going to step up and challenge for a Wild Card spot, and it appears that Cincinnati is going to be the one to answer the call.

With the lead being slim, the first start for McLean on Saturday is going to be an important game against the Mariners. New York’s struggles have resulted in every game being meaningful at this point, and it would be good to get off to a strong start.

Mets Didn’t Improve Rotation at Deadline

Aug 12, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) pitches in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Even though the Mets improved their bullpen in a significant way, they didn’t make any upgrades to their starting rotation. At the trade deadline, the starting pitching market didn’t seem to gain as much traction as many thought, with some of the top pitchers rumored to be available staying put.

Since New York didn’t acquire one of the top pitchers, the franchise might have been thinking all along about what they already had ready to go in the farm system. As one of the top pitching prospects in the organization, McLean can make a significant impact for the team down the stretch, and New York is seemingly banking on that he will be able to.