The New York Mets never really found themselves a true ace starting pitcher in 2025.
There may not be one of those out there to be gotten unless they pull off a crazy trade for Tarik Skubal. But there's good pitching available on the trade market if the Mets want to go that route.
One name that's flying a bit under the radar is Pablo Lopez, the Minnesota Twins right-handed pitcher.
ESPN's Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel list the Mets as the top possible landing spot for Lopez, who they write has a 50% chance of being traded this offseason.
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"With No. 2 starter potential, Lopez would slot into every big league rotation," the ESPN duo writes. "He is signed for two more years at a reasonable $43 million. Similar to Ryan, he's eligible for free agency after the 2027 season, and with the coming expiration of the collective bargaining agreement, teams are pricing in the potential of lost games in '27 to any trade offer, making deals for players with two years of control particularly tricky."
The Twins could also look to trade Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan this offseason. They might be busy.
If the fire sale starts, the Mets could involved on either Ryan or Lopez.
The market cost for Lopez might be lower, but he's a talented pitcher the Mets could certainly benefit from.
"Lopez's fastball has long been his standout pitch, with his sweeper emerging as another weapon in the past few seasons," Passan and McDaniel write. "Forearm and shoulder issues limited Lopez to 75⅔ innings in 2025 after three seasons averaging 180-plus innings per year. Lopez has gone between a No. 2 and No. 3 starter the past five seasons, but he turns 30 in March, so it's still a bit of a gamble to expect that to continue."
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They've also listed four other possible competitors for Lopez in a trade: the Orioles, Giants, Astros and Padres.
The Mets have plenty of assets to deal if they want to go for this.
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