Mets must address this obvious issue to be a contender next season

What is the biggest roster hole for the New York Mets heading into the offseason?

Sep 23, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) on the field before a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. | David Banks-Imagn Images

With the offseason already underway for the New York Mets, it is going to be a busy winter. Due to an unfathomable collapse for about half of the year, the team has already made some notable moves to their coaching staff, and it is clear that jobs could be on the line if things don’t improve.

Since the Mets have one of the highest payrolls in baseball, signed Juan Soto, and just came off being in the National League Championship Series, it was shocking that they didn’t make the playoffs this year. Now, the franchise is going to have to take a long, hard look at what went wrong and find ways to improve.

Fortunately, the team does have the resources to make the necessary improvements based upon what they deem is important. However, with two key players being looming free agents, they will also have some tough decisions to make regarding where money is spent.

Finding an Ace Is Key 

David Banks-Imagn Images

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the biggest roster hole for all 30 MLB teams to address during the offseason. For the Mets, they need an ace of their starting staff heading into the winter.

"With the young trio of Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong emerging late in the season, and veterans Sean Manaea (2 years/$50M), Kodai Senga (2 years/$28M), Clay Holmes (1 year/$13M) and David Peterson (arbitration eligible) also returning, the Mets have no shortage of candidates for the starting rotation," Reuter wrote. "However, they are lacking a bona fide ace. The top priority will be re-signing Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz if they opt-out as expected, but the biggest area to upgrade is the rotation."

Read More: New York Mets make perfect sense for free agent ace

When New York was performing well in the first half of the year, it was the starting rotation that was leading the way. Unfortunately, while injuries played a bit of a part in it, the unit really fell apart in the second half of the season and down the stretch.

Those struggles did result in the team calling up some of their talented young arms that look to be ready to contribute full-time in 2026. However, the uncertainty surrounding some of their veteran arms is a major concern, especially Senga and Manaea, who were both atrocious in the second half of the year.

With a majority of the rotation under contract and the youngsters likely to be in the mix as well, depth isn’t an issue for the Mets. However, what they do need to address is finding an ace to lead this staff. While Nolan McLean might end up being that guy, it would be unfair to have those expectations for him in 2026. A team with a payroll as big as the Mets shouldn't have to depend on a rookie to be their No. 1 option.

Nolan McLean's Blitzball Curveballs. 😳

6Ks thru 3. pic.twitter.com/pYOY26Vrbs

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 26, 2025

Landing an ace to compete with the likes of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies in the NL for years to come is going to be key. Both of these teams have some of the best rotations in the league, and the Mets are lagging behind in that area. If the Mets can add an ace this winter to go with the depth in the rotation they should have, it will fix their most glaring issue from 2025.