Nolan McLean's Strong Showing Creates an Interesting Offseason Dilemma for Mets

The Mets have just 23 games left in the season, with only 10 of them coming at home. While they do have a lot of questions to answer entering the offseason, Nolan McLean won't be one of them.

There were worries about McLean when he hit a rough patch in May, but he has righted the ship in a big way in the second half. Entering his start on Friday night against the Giants, McLean has gone 4-2 with a 2.05 ERA in eight second-half starts, striking out 47 batters in 48.1 innings pitched.

Nolan McLean ends the 7th with two strikeouts 👏 pic.twitter.com/HE0je0Orso
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 29, 2026

McLean's starts have become must-watch viewing for Mets fans, but McLean alone can't answer the questions that the Mets have in constructing their 2027 rotation. One thing that could be quite important, however, is seeing if McLean is capable of being the staff ace by himself.

Do the Mets need an ace ahead of Nolan McLean?

There is no question that McLean's showing over his first two professional seasons indicates he is capable of being at the front of a big league rotation. The Mets wisely brought in Freddy Peralta to be their ace this season, since asking McLean to do it in his first full season was a big ask, but Peralta's failure to adapt to the New York market negated that experiment.

The Peralta trade made McLean the ace of the staff again, and he has looked the part, but doing that job for a team that is out of contention is considerably less taxing than being the front man on a contender. The Mets will use this season to pad out McLean's innings so he can get to a position where he could flirt with 200 innings in 2027 if a full season is played.

There is no question that President of Baseball Operations David Stearns will look to add pitching to his rotation this season, and the idea of another ace will certainly be on the table. The top free-agent candidate is lefty Tarik Skubal, who will no longer have a qualifying offer attached to him after a mid-season trade to the Dodgers, but the fact that he is seeking a record-setting contract for a pitcher at age 30 is a bit concerning.

Stearns could also try going down the trade route again, with Minnesota's Joe Ryan or one of Seattle's pitching options (such as Bryce Miller or George Kirby) potentially available. A trade acquisition would likely be something of a co-ace with McLean, but that would require parting with valuable prospect capital that Stearns just added at the trade deadline.

Nolan McLean pitches. — Should the Mets search for a co-ace to pair with Nolan McLean this offseason? | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If the Mets feel strongly that McLean can be their ace next season, they could look to fortify their rotation with quality options in the middle to work behind him and Christian Scott. San Diego's Michael King, who has been linked to the Mets in the past, could opt out of his contract this winter, while a reunion with Clay Holmes could also make sense.

The risk of doing the latter route is that it feels too similar to the approach the Mets have had with the rotation over the past two years, where they tried to find value in the middle of the market and expected leaps from their internal options. While McLean is certainly capable of being an ace, the Mets would be much better off if they found a No. 1 starter and made McLean an exceptionally strong No. 2.

Pushing McLean down to the No. 2 spot would also bump down Christian Scott into either a No. 3 or No. 4 role, which would be a better fit for him at this stage of his career. The trickle-down effect of having McLean not be the ace is significant, so unless he finishes the season on another dominant tear, it makes the most sense for the Mets to put an ace in front of him again this winter.

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