The Mets still have real work to do in the rotation this offseason, and their wish list starts with a big swing. Tarik Skubal is the name at the top, and New York needs a frontline starter even if that chase comes up empty. But beyond the headline target, there’s another move that could help stabilize the group: a gamble on Shane Bieber for the back end of the staff.
Bieber, a former Cy Young Award winner, is on the market and gives the Mets a possible answer at fifth starter if they want to move Sean Manaea into the bullpen. He isn’t the dominant arm he once was, but when he’s been on the mound, he’s still shown he can get the job done.
Over the last two seasons, Bieber put up a 4.03 ERA and 1.4 bWAR in 18 regular season starts for the Toronto Blue Jays. He also played a part in Toronto’s run to the World Series in 2025, posting a 3.86 ERA in five appearances and four starts.
That kind of resume would give the Mets something they need: a veteran presence in a young rotation. Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and Zac Thornton give New York a promising young trio, but the unit still needs more support around them. Bieber would bring that experience, and his arrival would also push Manaea into the bullpen, where the Mets appear headed with him anyway despite the $25 million remaining on his deal in 2027.
Of course, this is not a clean or risk-free play. Bieber will be 32 next season, and the injury history is a big part of the conversation.
Since 2021, he has dealt with shoulder and elbow issues. Last season, he was limited to 11 starts because of right elbow inflammation and right teres major inflammation in his shoulder.
His comeback path has already been bumpy. Bieber had Tommy John surgery in 2024 and did not return until August of 2025. Even so, he was productive after being dealt to Toronto that year, finishing with a 3.57 ERA in seven starts and helping the Blue Jays reach the World Series.
That’s the case for the Mets taking the shot. They’ve already leaned on injury-prone players in 2026, including Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr., and Manaea has dealt with injury problems over the past two seasons as well.
Bieber fits the same broad mold of a calculated risk, but the upside is clear enough. A one-year deal would make him a low-risk, high-reward addition, and if he’s the club’s second rotation move, the Mets could do a lot worse than betting on the track record.
In Other News...
Luis Torrens Just Became More Important To The Mets Than Ever
Luis Torrens has quietly turned into one of the Mets most important depth pieces, and his role only grew after Francisco Alvarezs injury pushed him into the starting job. Torrens started 74 games behind the plate, showed the kind of defensive presence that has long made him valuable, and was rewarded with a Gold Glove nomination for the second straight year in 2026. For a club that has spent plenty of time trying to stabilize the catching position, that kind of steadiness matters.
The Mets also got more than just glove work from Torrens once he took on a heavier workload. His defense remained elite, and he gave the offense a lift in August, a useful development for a catcher whose main calling card has typically been run prevention. Now locked in on a two-year extension through 2028, Torrens looks like more than a temporary fix, and the bigger question for the Mets is how much his expanded role changes their plans behind the plate going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Just Got Hit With A Hindsight Critique Fans Should Question
Jon Heyman took aim at the Mets offseason judgment, pointing to the decision not to sign pitcher Nick Martinez as another move that can be second-guessed in light of how well Martinez has performed with the Tampa Bay Rays this season. It is the kind of critique that lands easily when a player is thriving elsewhere, especially for a Mets club that has spent plenty of time under a microscope for how it has handled pitching.
But the case is not as clean as the hindsight version makes it sound. Martinez was older, and his track record before this stretch did not make him an obvious must-sign last winter, which is why labeling the Mets choice a miss feels too tidy. He could still become a fit for New York down the road, including as a possible option for 2027, but the larger point is that not every offseason decision becomes a mistake just because the outcome looks better in reverse. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Face One Crucial Pitching Decision If Skubal Signs Elsewhere
The Mets are heading into the winter with starting pitching squarely on the shopping list, and Tarik Skubal sits at the top of it. A two-time Cy Young Award winner would obviously change the conversation in Queens, but the market rarely cooperates that neatly, which is why the club is already being linked to other arms who could help stabilize the rotation if the big swing does not land.
Michael King and Clay Holmes have both surfaced as possible fallback options, giving the Mets a couple of different ways to address the staff without waiting on one outcome. There is also a trade idea involving Drew Rasmussen, though it is viewed as the wrong kind of gamble, which leaves the front office with a familiar winter task: decide whether to chase the premier prize or settle for a lesser fit before the market thins out. [Read more 🡒]