Why the Mets Might Have to Trade a Starter Sooner Than Later

The New York Mets finally have something to smile about.

After winning a raucous game last night against the Minnesota Twins, the Mets can once again taste a winning streak. Albeit it's just two games.

AND BREATHE.

Mets win and take the series vs. the Twins! pic.twitter.com/9rhWsLSUjm
— SNY (@SNYtv) April 24, 2026

However, one issue from last night’s game was glaring enough to raise concern. The Mets have too many starting pitchers on the roster.

After Christian Scott could not make it past the second inning, Carlos Mendoza turned to Tobias Myers for seven outs. David Peterson then took over for 3.1 more innings.

So what’s the problem with this? After Peterson exited, the only true relievers left in the bullpen were Craig Kimbrel, Huascar Brazobán, and Devin Williams. All three were needed to close out the game.

And with Williams playing with fire again in the ninth, Sean Manaea had to start warming up behind him. Manaea, of course, is not built to get up quickly in the bullpen and come in like a typical reliever.

All of this is to say the Mets’ current roster construction is not sustainable. So is a trade on the horizon sooner than we thought?

Which Starting Pitcher Might the Mets Trade?

With three starters-turned-relievers, the Mets' bullpen is unorthodox. Even in a win last night, the roster showed its limitations. Is a trade inevitable? https://t.co/40z7438dcP
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) April 24, 2026

This idea of the Mets possibly being forced to make a trade sooner than later was raised by Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic.

In their article, they note that the Mets’ current roster features seven starting pitchers. If Tobias Myers is included, the roster has eight.

This leaves Brooks Raley, Luke Weaver, Brazobán, Kimbrel, and Williams as the only true relievers on the team who can pitch three or four times a week.

Of course, all of those pitchers need rest and can be unavailable on certain days. That was the case last night with Weaver and Raley. This puts even more pressure on the other relievers to do their jobs efficiently.

The situation gets worse when the Mets use multiple long men in one game, like they did last night with Myers and Peterson. That carries into today’s game against the Colorado Rockies, as the Mets will not have Peterson or Myers available. They will also likely be without Williams and possibly Brazobán.

All of this could force the Mets’ hand and lead them to trade one of their starters. Manaea, Peterson, and Senga are the most logical candidates.

Out of the three, Senga makes the most sense. The 33-year-old had a disastrous second half last season. He went 0-3 with a 6.56 ERA and was sent to the minor leagues towards the end of the season.

This year has been no better. Entering his start today, Senga is 0-3 with an 8.89 ERA and a 1.90 WHIP. The Mets gave him extra rest, something he has been used to his entire career, in hopes of better results.

However, even if Senga pitches well today, the Mets cannot afford to keep him on a once-a-week schedule. This makes him the most likely trade candidate.

Despite his rough start yesterday, the Mets have committed to giving Christian Scott another turn in the rotation. How Senga performs today, and how Scott looks next time out, could shape what New York decides to do.

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