The New York Mets looked like they were World Series locks through the first half of the season, but their neglect for pitching showed its ugly head, causing their downfall. Now, this offseason, it’s one of the first things they need to address.
Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter believes that the Mets could find an upgrade for their rotation through trade, by dealing for Kansas City Royals Cy Young candidate and All-Star, Cole Ragans.
The trade would look like this:
Mets get: LHP Cole Ragans
Royals get: RHP Jonah Tong, OF Carson Benge, IF/OF Ronny Mauricio, 1B Ryan Clifford
This past season, Ragans was plagued by injury, finishing with a 3-3 record, a 4.67 ERA, 98 Ks, and a WHIP of 1.184 over 61 innings pitched. However, if you look at the 2024 season, where he was an All-Star and fourth for the AL Cy Young, he was much better. He posted a record of 11-9, an ERA of 3.14, 223 Ks, and a WHIP of 1.143 over 186 innings pitched.
Ragans was also fully healthy at the end of the 2025 season, so the Mets wouldn’t have to worry about him having to work his way back at the beginning of 2026.
However, the only potential problem with this proposed trade is that the Mets would have to basically give up their farm for Ragans. It’s a risk, but the Mets are in a win-now, all-or-nothing mode at this point. As long as they keep Nolan McLean, they should be fine.
So, they should honestly pull the trigger on this trade. A 1-2-3 punch of Kodai Senga, Ragans, and McLean could be just what the Mets need to get their first championship in forty years.
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