The New York Mets went all-in on upgrading their offense last offseason, and totally neglected their pitching. While it seemed like that was going to be fine, it came back to bite them in the end, with them missing the playoffs.
The Mets need to focus on upgrading their pitching this offseason. Luckily, there may be a perfect fit. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer believes that the fit is getting two-time All-Star ace Framber Valdez.
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“However, you have to give Valdez this much: the dude posts. He has averaged 30 starts and 192 innings across the last four seasons, all while keeping his ERA between the mid-2.00s and mid-3.00s. No team needs that kind of stability in its rotation as much as the Mets. Their rotation collapsed throughout 2025 and ended up ranking fourth from the bottom of MLB in innings pitched. Coupled with a 4.13 ERA, it was a bad time all around,” Rymer wrote.
This past season, Valdez posted a 13-11 record, a 3.66 ERA, 187 Ks, and a WHIP of 1.245 over 192 innings pitched. However, this high ERA and questionable record can be attributed to a meltdown over the last two months of the season; before that, he was a Cy Young candidate.
Having a guy like Valdez at the head of their rotation, the Mets would definitely feel the upgrade. Also, having Valdez would be great for their young stars in Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, who can learn from him and support him in the rotation.
Hopefully, the Mets realize this is the move they need to make and start working on negotiations with Valdez’s camp.
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