If the Mets are serious about getting back into the postseason picture in 2027, the starting rotation has to be at the center of the plan.
That much is already clear after another rough year on the mound. New York watched its rotation struggle again, which helped push the club into moves like trading Freddy Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays and sending Clay Holmes to the Chicago Cubs at the deadline. Holmes is now a free agent.
There is some reason for optimism, though. Nolan McLean has established himself as the team’s ace, and Christian Scott and Zac Thornton give the Mets two more young arms to build around.
Even so, the expectation is that New York will still be shopping for at least one more starter this offseason. Michael King keeps coming up as a name to watch.
King is headed into free agency for the first time after opting out of the final two years of the three-year, $75 million deal he signed with the San Diego Padres last offseason. If the Mets decide to go after him, the price tag could be significant.
Spotrac projects King to land a five-year, $150 million contract on the open market. For a Mets team looking for a frontline arm, that number fits squarely in the conversation.
King just turned in the best season of his career for San Diego. In 32 regular-season starts, he went 12-10 with a 3.21 ERA, struck out 159 batters, and posted a 1.18 WHIP across a career-high 185 innings.
He also limited hitters to a .221 average, which tied for the second-lowest mark of his career. Left-handed batters had a tough time against him as well, hitting .219 with a .635 OPS. That kind of profile would play well in New York, where the Mets ranked 12th in the majors against left-handed sluggers with a .242 OBA.
King’s opt-out may end up being the move that pays off.
The Mets’ need for a veteran starter at the top of the rotation is obvious. Last season, New York starters averaged only 4.88 innings per outing, which ranked 28th in Major League Baseball.
King wouldn’t fix everything by himself, but he would help stabilize things. He averaged 5.84 innings per start for the Padres last season and completed six or more innings in 22 of his 32 outings. That kind of workload would give the Mets something they didn’t get enough of a year ago.
Tarik Skubal may be the biggest name on the market this winter, but King belongs in that same class of impact starters for teams that need pitching help. With McLean, Scott, and Thornton already in place, the Mets have a promising base.
What they still don’t have is clarity behind them. A five-year, $150 million deal for King would be a big swing, but one that could make plenty of sense.
In Other News...
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Mets Bullpen Squeeze Leaves David Stearns Facing Harder Choices
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The bigger issue now is flexibility, or the lack of it. With no impending free agents to clear space and several pitchers still under review because of availability and performance concerns, the Mets have to sort out who fits where before they can even think about adding to the mix. Setup roles and the ninth inning are part of the conversation, but the more immediate challenge is simply finding enough breathing room to make the bullpen work. [Read more 🡒]