With the Mets’ season in the books, the spotlight turns immediately to the same question that has hovered over their rotation all year: who’s going to be the ace?
New York does have a cluster of promising young starters in Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, Zac Thornton, and Jonah Tong. But betting heavily on that much inexperience is a roll of the dice, and the safer play is obvious. The Mets need a frontline arm who can steady the staff and give those younger pitchers room to grow.
Tarik Skubal sits atop the free-agent board, and the Mets will almost certainly take a swing there. If that chase comes up short, the trade market may be the next stop. And there are a handful of names that could change the shape of this rotation fast.
One of the most attractive possibilities is Seattle’s Logan Gilbert. He’s in his final year of arbitration, and he’s widely viewed as the best pitcher available via trade this winter.
The 29-year-old just put together another strong season, logging a 3.73 ERA over 186 innings with 205 strikeouts and a 1.09 WHIP. He also made 32 starts for the fourth time in the last five years, which only adds to his appeal.
Gilbert has spent six big-league seasons flashing top-end stuff without quite putting it all together for a full Cy Young run. His best year came in 2024, when he finished sixth in American League Cy Young voting after posting a 3.23 ERA over 208.2 innings with 220 strikeouts.
At 6-foot-6 with 7.5 feet of extension, he has the kind of build pitching coaches love to work with. Add in the durability and the ability to work deep into games, and he looks like the type of pitcher who could slot right into the top of the Mets’ rotation.
Another name worth watching is Shane McClanahan, though he comes with far more uncertainty. The left-hander is undeniably talented and has been dominant when healthy, but staying on the field has been the issue. He has never gone beyond 170 innings in any of his four major league seasons, and injuries have repeatedly interrupted his career.
McClanahan had his second Tommy John surgery in 2023, missed all of 2024, then sat out all of 2025 because of a severe nerve issue in his triceps. He returned this season and pitched well, putting up a 3.36 ERA over 118 innings with 106 strikeouts and a 1.12 WHIP.
But he’s injured again, this time with left forearm tightness that will keep him out of the American League Division Series for the Tampa Bay Rays. The risk is obvious, but so is the upside if the Mets believe the medicals check out.
Joe Ryan offers a different kind of appeal. Like Gilbert, he has shown flashes of real brilliance without yet reaching that true Cy Young level. This season, he made 27 starts and recorded a 3.79 ERA over 144.2 innings with 159 strikeouts and a 1.16 WHIP, along with a 3.70 FIP and 2.5 fWAR.
What makes Ryan especially attractive is how well he handles trouble. Opponents hit just .211 against him with runners in scoring position, a sign of the kind of poise teams want from a starter they can trust in big spots.
He’s been part of trade chatter for two years now, and with his final season of team control approaching, the timing makes sense. The Mets could also be a fit after bringing in former Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey as a senior advisor.
Seattle’s George Kirby is another name the Mets could circle, though he would almost certainly cost more than Gilbert because he still has two years of team control left. The New York native made an immediate impact as a rookie in 2022, posting a 3.39 ERA in 25 starts. He followed that with an even better 2023, finishing eighth in American League Cy Young voting, and then turned in another solid season in 2024.
This year was less smooth. Kirby finished with a 4.33 ERA in 174.2 innings, plus 148 strikeouts and a 1.40 WHIP.
Even so, he remains a quality starter with a proven ability to pitch deep into games. If the Mets want more than a one-year stopgap, he stands out as one of the more interesting trade possibilities.
And then there’s Jacob deGrom, a reunion that would sound almost too dramatic to be real. But it’s at least on the board. The Atlanta Braves reportedly got close to landing him at the trade deadline before deGrom used his no-trade clause to shut it down, and those talks suggested the Texas Rangers were open to moving him.
DeGrom is in the final season of his contract with Texas, and after another missed postseason, the Rangers could revisit the idea of dealing him this winter. The Mets would be a fascinating landing spot, though it’s unclear whether the 38-year-old would waive his no-trade clause to return to New York.
He’s not the same two-time Cy Young force he once was with the Mets, but he still put up a 4.20 ERA over 162.2 innings with 201 strikeouts and a 1.14 WHIP in 31 starts this season. Health will always hang over him, but if the reunion happened, it would instantly make the Mets’ rotation look a lot more intimidating.
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