Where Mets stand on free agent starters

The Mets are reportedly taking a measured approach to free-agent starters as MLB’s annual winter meetings get underway.

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

MLB’s offseason activity is primed to pick up with the winter meetings underway in Orlando, but the New York Mets remain cautious as they survey the market for starting pitching.

According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Mets are reluctant to hand out long-term offers to this offseason’s top free-agent starting pitchers. He added that Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez, and Tatsuya Imai would hold some appeal to the Mets on shorter deals, but barring a turn of events, it appears unlikely any of those arms would settle for that kind of agreement.

Column: Despite failing to get length from their rotation last season, the Mets are reluctant to hand out long-term offers to this offseason’s top free-agent starting pitchers. If they stick to that stance, could it cost them? On the pros and cons: https://t.co/3OEjk8UAIv

— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) December 8, 2025

Valdez, 32, is considered the best remaining starter in free agency. The left-hander has thrown 767.2 innings over the past four years, a total that trails only Logan Webb’s 820. He has regularly posted ERAs in the high 2s to mid-3s — a mark driven by the highest groundball rate (60%) among starters during that span.

Valdez’s ability to limit home runs (career 0.7 HR/9) and induce groundballs at an elite clip could play well in Queens, with the defensive tandem of Marcus Semien (+7 OAA) and Francisco Lindor (+5 OAA) up the middle. That said, his age and second-half numbers from 2025 (a 5.20 ERA in 71 innings) help justify some hesitancy when it comes to the idea of a long-term commitment.

Framber Valdez is through 9 innings, and the @Astros have a chance to walk it off!

He has only thrown 83 pitches tonight 👀 pic.twitter.com/jaOy6ZGsv8

— MLB (@MLB) May 31, 2025

Suárez, 30, has never thrown 160 innings in a season and averages just 91.2 mph on his fastball, but his command and deceptive pitch mix have made him a reliable No. 3 starter. The 27-year-old Imai, meanwhile, is untested against MLB competition but could command a hefty contract after posting a 1.92 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with 178 strikeouts over 163.2 NPB innings this past season.

Dylan Cease reset the market late last month by signing a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays — an indication of the asking price for high-end starters. Such a commitment comes with significant risk, as shown by Corbin Burnes, who underwent Tommy John surgery in the first year of his big deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has historically targeted short-term deals with starters, a strategy that paid off in 2024 but backfired this past season. Their two biggest pitching investments — Sean Manaea (three years, $75 million) and Frankie Montas (two years, $34 million) — struggled with injuries and poor performance, which the club was unable to overcome.

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In 2025, New York’s starters ranked 18th in ERA (4.18) and 27th in innings pitched (796), overly taxing a bullpen that had issues of its own. The Mets’ 2026 rotation currently projects to include Manaea, Nolan McLean, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, and Kodai Senga, with Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, and Christian Scott also in the picture.

Aside from McLean, who went 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA and 57 strikeouts through his first eight MLB starts, the Mets lack an arm that can be trusted as an effective frontline starter. Unless they can pull off a trade for a proven ace, their current stance on free agency could keep them from meaningfully upgrading the rotation this winter.

Another option would be signing someone from the next tier of free agency, such as Michael King, who the Mets have shown interest in, as reported by Mets On SI’s Pat Ragazzo. Sammon also floated the names of Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly as starters who could command fewer years.

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