💥 BREAKING NEWS: As the Mets’ Rotation Comes Into Focus, One Clear Free Agency Target Now Stands Above the Rest ⚡.DD
The New York Mets’ pursuit for a starting pitcher may come down to this one free agent arm.
There is a lot of pressure on the New York Mets to make a splash in free agency right now.
While New York did sign versatile infielder Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million deal last week, the sentiment among the Mets’ fan base is that more must be done to atone for the team losing both Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso in free agency.
The good news is that David Stearns and the rest of the Mets’ front office seem to agree that the roster still needs to improve, and New York appears poised to add at least one more impact bat.
Even after losing Alonso, improving the starting rotation would seem to be the Mets’ biggest need.
Their staff struggled down the stretch last season, and Nolan McLean and Clay Holmes appear to be the only trustworthy starters at this point.
There’s still hope that a trade for Tarik Skubal could be on the table, but the Mets can’t afford to bank on that possibility.
Instead, they would be wise to acquire a starter in free agency, especially while most of the top arms are still available on the market.
Mets Called Top Free Agency Fit for Framber Valdez
New York has been linked to all five of the top starting pitchers still available in free agency (Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, Tatsuya Imai, Zac Gallen, and Michael King).
However, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden believes that Valdez is their best fit, as he called the Mets Valdez’s top potential destination in a December 17 article.
One reason why Valdez might hold a unique appeal to New York is that he’s a ground ball pitcher, which is a rare and valuable commodity in the modern game.
While the Mets were also called a fit for Tatsuya Imai, Bowden called them his third most likely fit behind the Cubs and the Yankees.
And since it’s now being reported that Imai is deciding between Chicago and the Yankees, the Mets might already be out of the Imai sweepstakes.
Valdez would be a good complement to McLean and Holmes in the Mets’ rotation, if only because he’s a southpaw and they’re both righties.
While the hope is that Sean Manaea can make more of an impact for New York in 2026 than he did last year, having a more consistent lefty like Valdez would be the final rotation piece that New York needs as the 2026 rotation becomes clearer.
