Insider expects Mets to be in on these 2 star arms at trade deadline

One insider thinks the New York Mets will actively try to acquire one of these pitchers later this season.

Oct 1, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Michael King (34) walks off the field after the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves in game one of the Wildcard round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The New York Mets inquired about potential trades for San Diego Padres starting pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King during this past offseason.

Obviously, no trade came to fruition for either of these high-level arms, as both righties started the season with the Padres.

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The sentiment was that the Mets were ultimately content enough with their starting rotation headed into the 2025 season so that they weren't willing to part ways with top prospects to acquire either Cease or King, given both players would essentially be one-year rentals before hitting free agency.

While I’ve heard the asking price for Dylan Cease has been extremely high, Michael King is now reportedly available and in my opinion would be a good fit for the Mets as a one year rental

Both pitchers are heading into the final year of their deals

— Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) January 27, 2025

However, the door was still open for a potential trade between these two NL teams at some point in the season. And SNY's MLB insider Andy Martino alluded to this in a March 29 article.

"A related desire to keep a lane open for trade acquisitions. I strongly expect the Mets to be in on Dylan Cease and Michael King, if the Padres make them available this summer, and any other rotation rentals. They are too well-resourced and ambitious to have a passive trade deadline," Martino wrote.

David Stearns explains his thinking about a perceived Mets weakness, the starting rotation (via @martinonyc) https://t.co/bKhX0C7eRT pic.twitter.com/FNRDkB8vXI

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 29, 2025

The major questions when it comes to this trade going through are what kind of seasons the Padres and Mets have leading up to the trade deadline. If the Padres are competing with the Dodgers atop the NL West, they'd likely be reluctant to part ways with either of these top arms. But if they're struggling to keep pace with Los Angeles, shipping either (or both) of King and Cease would make more sense.

The next few months will be very telling when it comes to how aggressive New York's front office will be in adding a top-tier arm via trade.