It’s no secret that the New York Mets are big spenders and aggressive when it comes to making significant moves. However, they have lost more than they have gained on the big league roster this winter and need to make some additional moves if they want to remain competitive in the National League East which has become arguably the toughest division in baseball.
They’ve lost four players this offseason that made up a large part of the core that brought success to Queens over the last couple of seasons. They parted ways with Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil via trade while Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz walked in free agency. It’s going to be a new-look Mets team in 2026, and there are still a number of big names they could add to the roster before spring rolls around.
One of these pitchers are likely to fill the need in the Mets starting rotation
While Edwin Diaz is nearly irreplaceable as a closer, the Mets have done a good job in replacing some of his production through adding both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. The bullpen was a weak point in 2025, especially during their collapse in the second half, so they do enter 2026 with some more depth. Unfortunately for the bullpen, their contributions aren’t going to mean much if the Mets can’t add to their starting rotation.
Although he had an impressive big league debut, Nolan McLean simply can’t be your number one starter at this point in his career. In fact, McLean is the only pitcher slated to make starts this year that is under team control beyond 2027. For that reason, the Mets should be very active in the starting pitching free agent market.
The Mets have been linked to Framber Valdez since the beginning of the offseason, but there hasn’t been enough buzz around the Mets interest in Ranger Suarez. ESPN’s Buster Olney was recently on the record stating that “it seems inevitable that the Mets will land one of Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez.” The two lefties draw a lot of similarities to each other being soft(er) tossing southpaws with wide pitch mixes and great command. Suarez might be the better long-term investment considering he’s two years younger than Valdez, so don’t be surprised if discussions heat up between Suarez and the Mets.
Zac Gallen is another pitcher that could very well be in a Mets uniform on opening day. Gallen’s market is very interesting right now given he has flashed Cy Young upside in the past but is coming off of an underwhelming season. With that being said, Gallen might have the best value of any starting pitcher on the open market considering he’s not going to command a long-term deal but still has the makings of an all-star arm. If they land either Valdez or Suarez, there would likely still be some room to add Zac Gallen.
The Mets are still in the running to land these big bats
On the other side of the ball, the Mets appear to remain active in adding another impact bat. After trading Brandon Nimmo, the Mets outfield consists of Juan Soto, Tyrone Taylor, and some kind of combination of top prospect Carson Benge, Luisangel Acuna, and Jared Young. Aside from Juan Soto, there is an obvious need for more offensive production in the outfield, and it’s very likely either Cody Bellinger or Kyle Tucker fill that need. Perhaps trading Brandon Nimmo was too free up a roster spot to add either Bellinger or Tucker.
Given the Mets spending habits, they are probably in the best position to sign Kyle Tucker. The recent rumor mill has it that Tucker could end up with a low year/high AAV deal with opt outs and that becomes more likely as the offseason drags on. The Mets would likely have no issue dishing out upwards of $40 million a year on a short-term deal for Tucker in a similar fashion to what the Red Sox did with Alex Bregman a year ago.
Speaking of Alex Bregman, the three time all-star is one more high-profile free agent the Mets could still land. Brett Baty finally had a productive season at third base, but there is no question that the Mets would rather have Bregman. The need for Bregman isn’t as apparent as it is for Tucker or Bellinger in the outfield, but he could be a pivot if they were to whiff on both. The Red Sox are supposedly aggressively pursuing a reunion with Bregman, so this addition appears to be a little less likely than the previously mentioned players, although still a possibility.
Although we are past the halfway point in the offseason, the Mets offseason in particular is far from over. Free agents were the only players discussed here so there’s even more they could do via trade. Regardless of what they do, expect the Mets to add both an arm and a bat in the near future.