The Mets have already made it clear what needs fixing this offseason: the rotation. David Stearns said as much at his end-of-season press conference, and that puts New York in the market for real innings, not just arm depth.
Tarik Skubal is the dream target. If the Mets somehow land him, they’d be adding one of the best pitchers in baseball, the kind of arm that can sit at the front of a staff for years.
Even then, one major addition probably wouldn’t be enough. The Mets still need another starter who can give them quality work every fifth day.
That search could lead them to free agency, where Robbie Ray and Kevin Gausman both fit the bill. But if Steve Cohen is serious about dialing back the spending, there’s another path: trade for Twins ace Joe Ryan.
The fit with Minnesota makes a lot of sense on paper, especially after Stearns brought Derek Falvey into New York’s front office. Falvey was the one who acquired Ryan in July 2021, back when he was running baseball operations for the Twins.
Ryan is also the type of pitcher Minnesota could realistically move. The Twins tried to buy at this year’s trade deadline, but the moves didn’t work, and they finished below .500 in a weak American League. That kind of season can change a club’s thinking quickly, especially with Ryan not reaching free agency until after the 2027 season.
He’d give the Mets the kind of dependable season they need. Ryan went 7-10 with a 3.79 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 27 starts, and he’s in a similar position to Freddy Peralta when the Mets acquired him last winter. If Minnesota puts him on the market, there should be plenty of interest.
The Mets could still put together a package that would matter to the Twins. The proposed return would center on big leaguers, which gives Minnesota help right away and keeps the deal from being built around long-term lottery tickets.
In that framework, Baty gives the Twins a useful option at second or third base, a real consideration with Royce Lewis making frequent trips to the injured list. The bigger prize for Minnesota, though, would be Thornton. The Mets got a clear development win with Thornton, who went 5-6 with a 3.42 ERA in 15 major league starts in 2026, and he projects as someone who could help a rotation for years.
New York can afford that kind of loss because there are more arms coming. Jack Wenninger, Jonah Tong and Jonathan Santucci are all in the pipeline, and that gives the Mets some cover if they move Thornton.
Guzman would be the third piece, and he brings first-base upside with some pop after finishing the year strong at High-A Brooklyn. Losing him would sting, since he could become a long-term answer at first, but the Twins could move him along quickly.
For the Mets, the appeal is obvious: land Ryan, chase Skubal, and suddenly the rotation looks dangerous. For Minnesota, the sell is just as clear: turn one pitcher before free agency into multiple big-league pieces who can help for years instead of risking a qualifying-offer standoff and losing him later.
In Other News...
Former Mets Manager Lands With Rival As Offseason Fallout Grows
The Phillies have made a familiar-looking addition to their coaching staff, hiring Carlos Mendoza as their new third-base and infield coach after his run as Mets manager ended mid-season. It is another notable twist in a National League East rivalry that rarely stays quiet, especially when one club is reshaping its dugout and the other is watching a former manager land somewhere down the division ladder.
Philadelphia also moved on from hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson as part of the staff overhaul. For Mets fans, Mendozas new job adds another layer to an offseason already full of fallout, with a former skipper now helping guide a division rivals day-to-day operations in the field. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Fans Will Have Strong Opinions On How These Top Prospects Panned Out
Since 2011, the Mets have had 13 different players sit atop MLB Pipelines prospect list, and the track record has produced plenty of debate for a fan base that remembers every miss, every injury and every breakthrough. Sorting those names from worst to best based on major league performance so far is the kind of exercise that instantly turns into a referendum on how the organization has developed talent, with the evaluation built around big-league value, longevity and numbers like bWAR and ERA.
The list brings together a familiar mix of old and new, from Travis dArnaud, Steven Matz, Noah Syndergaard and Amed Rosario to newer headliners such as Francisco Alvarez, Ronny Mauricio, Jett Williams, Brandon Sproat and Nolan McLean. For Mets fans, the appeal is obvious, because these rankings do more than revisit a prospect history, they hint at how much promise has already been cashed in and how much is still waiting to be written. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Could Revisit A Surprising Deadline Decision This Offseason
The Mets reshaped both their roster and their farm system at the summer deadline, but the story around those moves may not be finished once the offseason arrives. With several of the players sent out still in the mix as possible targets for a return, the front office has to balance what it gave up with what those names could still mean to the club heading into next year.
Freddy Peralta is one of the more interesting cases because of how things have lined up since the deadline, and Steve Cohens presence at an ALCS game he started only added to the sense that the door is not fully closed. Robert, Peterson, Minter and Peralta all carry different contract and performance angles, which means the Mets could end up revisiting one of the more surprising deadline decisions if the market and their own roster needs point them back in that direction. [Read more 🡒]