Mets reportedly open to trading for either rental or controllable pitchers

The New York Mets are reportedly interested in trading for either rental or controllable pitchers.

Jul 13, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

With the offseason continuing on for the New York Mets and some of the big names in free agency at a standstill, the franchise still has a few notable needs heading into 2026.

Many are expecting New York to make a big splash once again in free agency or the trade market, but that has yet to come. Outside of a few bullpen additions and a blockbuster trade that swapped Brandon Nimmo with Marcus Semien, the Mets have been rather quiet this winter. In fact, their biggest moves this offseason are the ones they didn't make, as both Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso ended up walking to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles, respectively.

There is certainly a growing concern after the failures of 2025 that the Mets aren’t going to do enough to get to where expectations were. This was a team that played in the National League Championship Series just two seasons ago, and despite adding Juan Soto in free agency last winter, ended up missing the postseason altogether last season.

Even though the winter has felt like a failure thus far, the Mets can still turn it around. There are multiple pressing needs for the team, but there are more than enough options available in free agency and the trade market to address them. Perhaps the biggest need of all is in the starting rotation, which was the biggest culprit in the team's 2025 collapse.

Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic (subscription required) recently wrote about the Mets primarily scouring the trade market for pitching. Their search has ranged from pitchers who could be rentals (are likely to hit free agency next winter) or have multiple years of club control.

Rental pitcher or controllable pitcher?

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Whether it be a rental or a controllable pitcher, either option could work for the Mets in 2026. They will undoubtedly expect to compete for a World Series championship regardless of what happens for the rest of the offseason.

Recently, the Mets saw a potential option on the controllable side get traded when Edward Cabrera was sent from the Miami Marlins to the Chicago Cubs. That deal could help set the market for some of the other rumored pitchers to be available, both on expiring deals and under team control.

Read More: Where Mets can pivot after missing out on Edward Cabrera

Of the starters potential available for trade, the best one is two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, who would be a rental. If he is unavailable (which is the most likely scenario), they could look at fellow rental Freddy Peralta, or consider a blockbuster in-division trade for MacKenzie Gore of the Washington Nationals, who has two years of control.

While it appears like trading for a front-end caliber starter is the preferred route of the organization, there are still good options in free agency such as Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez. David Stearns feels hesitant to give pitchers long-term deals, but if they don’t want to move top prospects for good pitching, something will have to give.

Even with Cabrera coming off the trade board, there are still plenty of good options for the Mets to pursue either as a rental or ones that they can control for a couple of years. However, they need to add someone, as their rotation as currently constructed just isn't good enough.

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