Insider believes Mets will land one of these aces

MLB insider Buster Olney predicts the Mets will sign either Framber Valdez or Ranger Suárez.

Jul 30, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns speaks to the media about the MLB trade deadline before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

With the expectation that the New York Mets will add a starting pitcher to their rotation this offseason, this MLB insider thinks they will wind up signing either of the top remaining arms still on the open market.

In a January 6 article for ESPN, MLB insider Buster Olney reported that it's "inevitable" that the Mets will sign either Framber Valdez or Ranger Suárez.

"Suarez and Valdez, for sure," Olney wrote. "With the Mets still needing help in their rotation, it seems inevitable they'll land one of these two -- and Suarez makes a lot of sense, given his calm mound presence and experience pitching in a big market for all of those years in Philadelphia."

ESPN's Buster Olney says it seems "inevitable" that the Mets will sign one of Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez as they continue to explore the starting pitching market pic.twitter.com/g6non1QUjY

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) January 6, 2026

Since the start of the offseason, it has been no secret that the Mets are aiming to bolster their rotation. The unit's ineffectiveness plagued the Amazins' during their three-and-a-half-month collapse last season, which resulted in them missing the postseason.

Valdez and Suárez remain the two most coveted starting pitchers on the free agent market, with the Mets among many teams interested in their services. Valdez, who has spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Houston Astros, is coming off a strong 2025 campaign in Houston; in 31 starts, he posted a 13-11 record with a 3.66 ERA, 187 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.24 across 192 innings pitched. It was the fifth season in a row in which the 32-year-old recorded 10 wins or more in the regular season and the third time in five years making 30 starts or more.

Read More: What Mets could do to add to their rotation

As for Suárez, the lefty hurler has also spent the first eight seasons of his career with the same franchise, the Philadelphia Phillies. In 26 starts last season for the Phillies, the 28-year-old went 12-8 with a 3.20 ERA, 151 punchouts and a 1.22 WHIP in 157.1 innings of work. It was also the second consecutive year that Suárez racked up 12 wins in the regular season.

While this report from Olney is undoubtedly an encouraging sign in the Mets' apparent need to improve their rotation, David Stearns has been notably hesitant to hand out long-term deals to starting pitchers. But with New York's rotation lacking a true ace aside from Nolan McLean, who is about to enter his first full season in the majors, there may be a sense of urgency for Stearns and company to try to add an ace to stabilize their rotation.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.