The New York Mets are in a pivotal spot this offseason, and the idea of flipping Mark Vientos for pitching help has started to make the rounds-most notably in proposals involving the Minnesota Twins. On paper, a deal like that has some logic.
Vientos is a young, controllable bat with pop, and the Mets, for all their offensive depth, could use reinforcements on the mound. But when you take a closer look at the names being floated-Bailey Ober and Simeon Woods-Richardson-it’s fair to ask: are these the arms that actually move the needle for New York?
Let’s start with Ober. He’s 30 years old, still has a minor league option left, and has shown flashes of being a solid mid-rotation guy.
That’s not nothing. But the Mets aren’t exactly hurting for depth-they’re hunting for impact.
Ober could be a serviceable fifth starter or insurance policy, but he doesn’t solve the bigger issue: upgrading a rotation that struggled to stay healthy and consistent last season. At a projected $6.8 million salary, he’s not cheap enough to stash in Triple-A, and not quite impactful enough to lock into a rotation spot without hesitation.
Then there’s Woods-Richardson. Mets fans will remember him as part of the Marcus Stroman trade back in 2019.
He later landed in Minnesota via the Jose Berríos deal with Toronto. Still just 25, he has some upside, but he’s out of minor league options and hasn’t shown enough to be considered anything more than a back-end starter right now.
The Mets already have a handful of those types-young arms like Tylor Megill, José Butto, and potentially Brandon Sproat, who could be ready to take a turn every fifth day. Adding Woods-Richardson doesn’t elevate the floor or the ceiling of the rotation.
The broader issue is that the Mets already have a logjam of starters, and they might actually need to subtract from the group before adding more. Kodai Senga, when healthy, has ace-level stuff.
But durability remains a question mark. David Peterson, meanwhile, has shown flashes but tends to fade after reaching a certain workload-he hit a wall last season after crossing the 120-inning mark.
So if the Mets are going to trade Vientos-whose bat still carries promise and who’s under team control-they have to get something more meaningful in return. A deal centered around Vientos for Ober or Woods-Richardson might be fair value in a vacuum, but it doesn’t address the Mets’ most pressing need: real, tangible improvement in the starting rotation.
Now, if this were part of a two-step plan-say, the Mets also swing a bigger move for a frontline starter like Freddy Peralta or Tarik Skubal-then maybe adding a guy like Ober as a secondary piece makes more sense. But if this is the only rotation addition the Mets make? That’s a harder sell.
This front office has leaned into youth and controllability, and both Ober and Woods-Richardson check those boxes to varying degrees. But controllable doesn’t always mean valuable.
Woods-Richardson hasn’t reached arbitration yet, so he’s cheap-but so are internal options who might offer similar production. Ober, despite his experience, is more expensive and doesn’t quite fit the mold of someone you add unless you’re convinced he’s better than what you already have.
Bottom line: if the Mets are going to add one starter this winter, it needs to be someone who definitively improves the rotation. If they’re adding two, the second guy still needs to beat out the weakest current option.
Can we say with confidence that Ober or Woods-Richardson clears that bar? Right now, the answer feels like a no.
This isn’t about undervaluing what those two pitchers bring-both have had their moments and could contribute in the right setting. But for a Mets team trying to re-establish itself as a contender, marginal upgrades aren’t enough.
The next move has to be a difference-maker. Otherwise, it’s just shuffling deck chairs on a ship that needs a new engine.