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Blue Jays Targeting High-Leverage Relievers

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The Blue Jays are targeting high-leverage relievers, reports Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. Free agent Edwin Díaz appears to be one possibility, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Rosenthal frames the Jays as the main threat to poach Díaz from the Mets. Rosenthal reports that the Jays recently met with Díaz’s representatives from Wasserman, though he also notes that may not mean anything since everyone meets with everyone at this time of year. Jeff Jones of The Belleville News-Democrat reports that the Jays were interested in Ryan Helsley ahead of the deadline. He is now a free agent and could be a target as well. The Jays were also connected to Pete Fairbanks earlier this week.

The Jays have seemingly been casting a wide net early in the offseason, having been connected to all kinds of different pursuits. The bullpen is one thing on their list and it’s a sensible one. The Jays had a middling relief group in 2025. Toronto relievers had a collective 3.98 earned run average, which was 16th out of the 30 big league clubs. Closer Jeff Hoffman had a 4.37 ERA for the year. He dominated through most of the playoffs but then surrendered the big Miguel Rojas home run when the Jays were two outs away from a title.

Last week, general manager Ross Atkins said that Hoffman would be open to moving to a different role if the Jays found another closer. It seems the Jays are indeed considering that. Díaz is one of the best closers in the game today. He already has 253 saves under his belt. He just wrapped up a season in which he had 1.63 ERA, 38% strikeout rate, 8% walk rate and 48.4% ground ball rate.

He has been with the Mets since 2019 and it might be assumed by some that he will end up back in Queens. He was approaching free agency three years ago but signed a five-year, $102MM deal to stay with the Mets just days before he was set to hit the open market. That deal contained an opt-out after three years, which Díaz triggered. He is now a free agent for the first time.

The Mets could certainly re-sign him but it doesn’t seem to be a fait accompli. Díaz himself said this week he has been talking with the Mets but put the odds of a return at 50/50, per Laura Albanese of Newsday. “If they came with the best deal for me, I’d enjoy to stay with them,” Díaz said, “but at the end of the day, I don’t know what they’re thinking.”

Díaz is still quite a good reliever but he is three years older than when he signed his previous deal. MLBTR predicted him to secure a four-year, $82MM pact this time around, a similar average annual value but on a shorter commitment since he’ll turn 32 years old in a few months. Díaz appears to be setting his sights a bit higher than that. Earlier this week, reporting from Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic indicated he is looking for roughly the same kind of deal he got last time. Bob Nightengale of USA Today echoed that this week, reporting that Díaz is looking for at least $100MM over five years.

That would be a notable expenditure for any club. As shown in MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, the $102MM guarantee from the previous Díaz deal is still the record for a reliever. The $20.4MM AAV is also top of the list, apart from swingman Nick Martinez accepting a $21.1MM qualifying offer from the Reds a year ago.

Whether the Jays would be willing to do that remains to be seen. They’ve never given a reliever more than the three years and $33MM they gave to Hoffman a year ago. They might have to triple that to land Díaz. Perhaps getting so close to a World Series will push them there, both because the bullpen let the last game slip away and because they presumably raked in a bunch of extra money from the deep playoff run.

RosterResource projects the Jays for a $235MM payroll next year, more than $20MM shy of their year-end figure in 2025. It’s unknown how high they are willing to go in the wake of their 2025 run. Presumably, there is a limit somewhere and they will have to balance their desire for Díaz against pursuits of Bo Bichette, Kyle Tucker, starting pitching and so on. Díaz also rejected a qualifying offer. Since the Jays paid the competitive balance tax in 2025, signing a player tied to a QO means they would have to forfeit two draft picks and international bonus pool space.

The Mets have been operating with very few payroll limits in recent years but David Stearns has shown a measured approach to building his pitching staff since taking the president of baseball operations job. Despite having Steve Cohen’s seemingly boundless resources, he hasn’t given a pitcher a deal longer than three years yet. The bullpen has mostly been built with one-year deals. A.J. Minter got two years with an opt-out in the middle, though his lack of health in 2025 means he will be coming back for that second year.

Some may speculate that Cohen would just override Stearns and bring back Díaz as a fan favorite. Rosenthal downplays this notion is his column, linked above, referring back to the 50/50 comments from Díaz.

Turning back to the Jays, they could also shop in a different aisle. As mentioned, they have been connected to Fairbanks, who will be far cheaper than Díaz. That’s also true of Helsley, who has a strong track record but is coming off a poor platform season.

From 2022 to 2024, Helsley tossed 167 2/3 innings with a 1.83 ERA, 34.6% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate. In 2025, his ERA jumped to 4.50 as his strikeout rate fell to 25%. He was especially bad after getting traded from the Cardinals to the Mets at the deadline, with a 7.20 ERA after that swap.

That obviously puts a big dent in his earning power but he should still get interest as a bounceback candidate. Plenty of clubs would be happy to try him on a one-year deal with the hope that 2025 was a blip. He might also have enough juice for two years with an opt-out. MLBTR went the latter route, predicting him for a two-year, $24MM guarantee.

There’s no denying the trend lines aren’t good. Helsley’s strikeout rate has gone from 39.3% in 2022 to 35.6%, 29.7% and 25% in the most recent seasons. But he still averaged 99.3 miles per hour on his fastball this year, a tiny drop from his peak of 99.7 mph in in 2023. He may have been tipping his pitches and he also surrendered a fairly high .342 batting average on balls in play. His 14.5% home run to fly ball ratio was far worse than previous seasons. Part of that was him getting hit harder than before but some teams may feel he could be back to his old self with a tweak or two.

If the Jays circle back to Helsley, that would be a far different addition than Díaz. Díaz is about as rock-solid as a closer gets these days and would immediately supplant Hoffman as the top guy in the bullpen. Helsley would be a lower-cost flier and would surely start lower in the pecking order before having to earn his way up. How the Jays play it will presumably depend on the other market factors and how things play out with the other things on their to-do list.

Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images

Mets Fielding Interest In Jeff McNeil

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The Mets are taking trade inquiries on Jeff McNeil, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The veteran utilityman is recovering from thoracic outlet surgery, which complicates conversations with other clubs. McNeil’s agent, Paragon’s Garrett Parcell, told The Post’s Joel Sherman that he is expected to be full go for Spring Training.

McNeil is entering the final guaranteed season of the four-year, $50MM extension he signed during the 2023-24 offseason. He’s set for a $15.75MM salary and guaranteed a $2MM buyout on a matching club option for the ’27 season. It’s essentially a one-year, $17.75MM commitment. (An acquiring team would also owe him a $500K assignment bonus.) That’s more than he’d get on the open market coming off a .243/.335/.411 line and heading into his age-34 season. Something like a two-year deal in the $18-20MM range would be reasonable, but he wouldn’t command that kind of money on a one-year term.

At the time of the extension, McNeil was coming off a batting title. He hasn’t maintained those heights over the past three seasons. He combined for a slightly below-average .257/.323/.381 slash line between 2023-24. This year’s numbers were better but also came with injury questions. McNeil missed the first few weeks of the season with an oblique strain. He hit well over the next few months, running a .256/.348/.451 line with as many walks as strikeouts in nearly 400 plate appearances through the end of August. His bat wilted as the team collapsed in September, as he finished with a .187/.274/.240 showing in the season’s final month.

Playing through thoracic outlet syndrome offers an explanation for the late-season struggles. At the same time, that also raises questions about what teams can expect going into 2026. TOS generally isn’t as damaging for hitters as it can be for pitchers, yet some clubs could prefer to see McNeil play before taking on a notable chunk of money. His strikeout rate ticked up in the final two months of the season, while his average exit velocity plummeted in September.

McNeil has primarily been a second baseman in his career. He’s a capable if unspectacular defender there. McNeil has a decent amount of corner outfield experience, where he has received solid defensive grades. He added a little more than 200 innings in center field this past season, albeit with mediocre marks from Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average. McNeil is a below-average runner and shouldn’t be counted on for more than part-time work in center field.

While the contract and injury are obstacles, McNeil could be appealing to some teams if the Mets pay down part of the contract. The Astros don’t have an everyday second baseman and need a left-handed bat. The Angels could also use a lefty hitter and could bounce McNeil between second and third base. The Royals got nothing out of second base this year and generally prefer high-contact hitters of his ilk. The Giants, Athletics, Pirates and Tigers (if Gleyber Torres rejects the qualifying offer) could all look to upgrade at second base. Those teams would probably prefer to acquire Brendan Donovan, but the prospect cost would be much higher for the St. Louis utilityman.

If the Mets were to trade McNeil, they could kick Brett Baty over to second base. That’d perhaps enable them to make a run at a free agent third baseman or try to sign Ha-Seong Kim as a multi-positional player who’d upgrade the infield defense. McNeil’s contact comes with a $12.5MM luxury tax hit for New York, meaning they’re paying $13.75MM in taxes on it as a third-time payor in the highest bracket. The CBT hit would recalculate to reflect the remaining money on the backloaded deal if he’s traded. It’d be a $17.75MM luxury tax number — minus any cash considerations the Mets include, which would remain on their CBT ledger — for an acquiring team.

Pete Alonso Open To Some DH Time In 2026

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After turning in one of the strongest offensive performances of his career in 2025, it was an easy decision for Pete Alonso to opt out of the final year of his deal with the Mets and return to the open market. After last year’s contentious trip through free agency that saw Alonso return to Queens only after a soft market left him to sign a short-term deal, it’s understandable that many observers have wondered if this year could be his last in New York. Those questions about Alonso’s future were somewhat amplified by a report that the Mets aren’t especially enamored with Alonso defensively at first base and would intend for him to spend time at DH if he returns to the club next year.

That’s actually something Alonso appears amenable to, however. Agent Scott Boras, who represents Alonso, told reporters (including Tim Healey of The Boston Globe) yesterday that Alonso would be willing to spend at least some time at DH next year, and that would be especially true if he were playing for a winning franchise or in the right situation for that to take place. Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of The New York Post reports that the Mets and Alonso have opened talks about a new contract and that there’s a “better feeling” around those early negotiations than was present last winter.

That all creates some reason for optimism among Mets fans that a reunion could be on the table once again this winter. At least on paper, they certainly seem to be the clear best fit for his services around the league. The Mariners and Padres could use help at first base but seem unlikely to spend what it would take to bring in someone like Alonso. Teams like the Pirates and Marlins are in desperate need of offense and are seemingly willing to spend more than usual, but a deal for Alonso would be a massive departure from their usual comfort zone and Alonso himself might prefer to play for a more consistent winner than either of those teams.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t any suitors for whom he would be a fit, of course. The Red Sox have been heavily speculated about as a destination for Alonso, and if Alex Bregman departs in free agency Alonso might represent their best chance to add an impactful, right-handed bat to the lineup who can replace him. The Giants had interest in Alonso last year, but have added Rafael Devers to the lineup and moved him to first base since then. Both teams also have young, up-and-coming first base options (Triston Casas, Bryce Eldridge) they’d be displacing by signing Alonso. That further complicates the fit.

Heyman also suggests that there’s at least some interest in Alonso from the Orioles, who will have Samuel Basallo drawing regular at-bats at either first base or DH on days that Adley Rutschman is behind the plate but could look to add someone more reliable than Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle to handle the other position. Alonso would be an interesting fit given the team’s heavily left-handed lineup, but adding pitching figures to be the team’s top priority this winter with most of their rotation headed into free agency and closer Felix Bautista sidelined for most if not all of the 2026 season.

As sensible as the fit between the two sides might seem on paper, that doesn’t mean a reunion is necessarily a slam dunk. The Mets have gotten involved in the market for players making the jump from NPB to MLB in the past, as they were a finalist for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and landed Kodai Senga. They’ve already been connected to Tatsuya Imai on the pitching side of things, but corner infield sluggers Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto could be attractive alternatives to Alonso as well. Murakami, in particular, could have appeal at just 26 years old; president of baseball operations David Stearns went well out of his typical comfort zone to land Juan Soto last winter in part due to him being exceptionally young for a star free agent. Josh Naylor, Ryan O’Hearn, Paul Goldschmidt, and Rhys Hoskins are among the other first basemen on the market this winter, but none besides Murakami can offer anything close to Alonso’s power output.

Jeff McNeil Underwent Thoracic Outlet Procedure

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Mets infielder Jeff McNeil underwent a procedure to address thoracic outlet syndrome following the season, agent Garrett Parcell of Paragon Sports International tells Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Parcell noted that McNeil is expected to be a full participant in spring training.

It’s an out-of-the-blue revelation and a relatively alarming one at that. Parcell called the procedure “minor,” though the majority of TOS cases throughout the majors come with notable recovery periods. There are two types of TOS, however: vascular and neurogenic. The latter is most common among pitchers and has a tougher recovery period, whereas the former is a more serious medical condition but also has a better success rate. For instance, right-hander Merrill Kelly underwent a vTOS procedure back in Sept. 2020 and was back on the mound at full strength the following season, taking the ball on April 2 and starting 27 games over the course of the season. (The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan explored the distinction between the two TOS types at the time in 2020.)

Regardless of the specifics, it’s a notable operation for the Mets’ longtime second baseman/outfielder. McNeil, who’ll turn 34 next April, is coming off a solid rebound campaign after a couple down seasons at the plate. He hit .243/.335/.411 (111 wRC+) with a dozen homers and nearly as many walks (10.6%) as strikeouts (11.9%) in 122 games and 462 plate appearances this season. His offensive contributions were far more robust through the end of August, though it seems the TOS symptoms crept up in the season’s final month and dragged his numbers down.

McNeil was sporting a hearty .266/.357/.457 line (128 wRC+) with more walks than strikeouts as deep into the season as Sept. 3. Over his final 71 plate appearances, he turned in an awful .125/.211/.172 batting line with an elevated 19.7% strikeout rate. His average exit velocity when he did make contact in those final three-plus weeks was down a whopping 4.5 mph over his previous levels.

The hope for the Mets and McNeil will be a return to full strength next season. He’s entering the final guaranteed season of a four-year, $50MM contract extension. That contract will pay McNeil $15.75MM next season. There’s also a 2027 club option with a matching $15.75MM salary or a $2MM buyout.

McNeil figures to reprise his role as the Mets’ primary second baseman next year, although he did slide into more of a true utility role in ’25. McNeil still spent 79 games at second base but also made 34 appearances in center field, 10 in left field, seven in right field and even logged two innings at first base.

Given the glut of young infielders on the Mets’ roster (Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuña, Ronny Mauricio, Mark Vientos), that expanded versatility will again give manager Carlos Mendoza some flexibility when writing out his lineup card each day, though it doesn’t sound like he’ll be viewed as a regular option in the outfield. President of baseball operations David Stearns said at this week’s GM Meetings that he envisioned “probably less” time in center field next year. Stearns touted McNeil’s versatility and didn’t rule out occasional outfield reps but said he’s not expecting the outfield to account for a “significant” portion of McNeil’s playing time next year.

Rays Return Rule 5 Pick Nate Lavender To Mets

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The Rays announced that Rule 5 pick Nate Lavender went unclaimed on waivers and was returned to the Mets. He’ll be back in the New York organization without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster.

Lavender never got a shot with Tampa Bay. The former 14th-round pick had undergone internal brace surgery in May 2024. The Rays took a flier on him in the Rule 5 draft halfway through his rehab. They hoped he’d make it back in the second half of the ’25 season and battle for a spot in the big league bullpen. It didn’t happen, as it appears he suffered some kind of setback. Lavender didn’t pitch at any level this year and was designated for assignment when the injured list went away last week.

Rule 5 draftees need to spend their entire first season in the new organization on the MLB roster or injured list. Lavender met that criterion, but they also need to spend at least 90 days on the active roster in total. If that doesn’t happen in year one because of injury or suspension, the player’s Rule 5 status carries into the winter and following season.

The silver lining for the 25-year-old southpaw is that he spent a season on the major league injured list. He picked up a year of service time and, more importantly, was paid the $760K league minimum salary. That’s no small matter for a player who received a $125K signing bonus at draft time and had never before occupied a spot on a 40-man roster. That said, it’s obviously disappointing that he wasn’t healthy enough to audition for a long-term bullpen spot in Tampa Bay.

The Illinois product will try to earn that opportunity with the Mets. Lavender struck out nearly 37% of opponents while combining for a 2.98 ERA between the top two minor league levels in 2023. If he’s healthy, he’ll probably get a non-roster invite to big league Spring Training. Even if he doesn’t break camp, he could put himself on the radar for a midseason promotion if he continues missing bats at that level with Triple-A Syracuse.

Mets Interested In Cody Bellinger

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The Mets have interest in free agent Cody Bellinger, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Heyman also downplays the possibility of the Dodgers making a strong run at free agent Edwin Díaz, which he suggests could be good for the Mets.

Bellinger would fit well with the Mets, given the current roster makeup. Center field was a big hole in 2025. Jose Siri spent most of the season on the injured list. He was outrighted off the roster in September and later became a free agent. Tyrone Taylor’s performance was lacking. The club tried to address the situation by acquiring Cedric Mullins at the deadline but he struggled to the end of the season and then became a free agent.

There is the possibility of an internal solution to the problem. Taylor is still on the roster. President of baseball operations David Stearns also tells Joel Sherman of The New York Post that Carson Benge will have a chance to make the team out of camp next year.

Benge was the club’s first-round pick, taken 19th overall, in the 2024 draft. In 2025, he hit his way through High-A and Double-A. In 416 plate appearances across those two levels, he drew a walk in 14.2% of them while only striking out at a 17.5% clip. He produced a .308/.413/.513 line and 174 wRC+. He got bumped up to Triple-A in mid-August. He slashed just .178/.272/.311 at that level but in a tiny sample of 103 plate appearances with a .188 batting average on balls in play.

Ideally, he would have some Triple-A success before cracking the majors but it seems the Mets aren’t dimming his stock based on that fluky end to a strong season. He played all three outfield spots but the Mets have Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo in the corners. If March rolls around and Benge is the best center field option, perhaps he will get the job. They likely can’t bank on that, however. Benge is still fairly inexperienced and won’t be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until after the 2027 season, so they don’t need to put him on the 40-man until he earns it.

Signing Bellinger would give them a strong Plan A. Bellinger hasn’t been an everyday center fielder for a few years but the plan would presumably be for him to move off that position whenever Benge forces the issue. Even if that doesn’t happen by Opening Day 2026, it could happen during the campaign. Bellinger could then move to a corner, with the designated hitter spot used in a rotation between himself, Soto and Nimmo. It’s also possible that Bellinger could end up at first base, depending on what happens with Pete Alonso.

Bellinger is heading to free agency for the third time but he should have far more earning power than in the first two trips. He was non-tendered by the Dodgers after 2022, his second straight dismal season on the heels of a shoulder injury. He secured a one-year, $17.5MM deal with the Cubs and bounced back with a strong season before heading to free agency for a second time. His market wasn’t strong, seemingly due to the memories of his poor 2021 and 2022 seasons still being fresh. He returned to the Cubs on a three-year, $80MM deal with opt-outs after each season.

His 2024 wasn’t quite as strong as his 2023 campaign, so he decided to skip his first opt-out chance. He was traded to the Yankees and then had a really strong performance in 2025. He hit 29 home runs, slashed .272/.334/.480 for a 125 wRC+ and got strong grades for his glovework, playing all three outfield spots and a bit of first. There were some flags under there, as he seemingly benefited from the short porch at Yankee Stadium. He had a 152 wRC+ at home and 97 on the road. Still, he made the easy decision to walk away from his $25MM salary in 2026, taking the $5MM buyout instead.

MLBTR predicted Bellinger to secure a five-year, $140MM deal this time. The Mets are one of the top-spending clubs in the league and could certainly make that happen if they wanted to, though Bellinger will have interest elsewhere, including from the Yankees.

At the end of the season, Stearns spoke of a desire to improve the Mets’ run prevention, per Tim Britton of The Athletic. Perhaps that would suggest Bellinger would be a better fit than bringing back Alonso, as the Polar Bear is not a great defender. Rostering both is theoretically possible but a bit clunky, as it closes off the possibility of Bellinger moving to first once Benge takes over center.

Turning to Díaz, he is the top reliever available this winter. The last time he was headed to free agency, the Mets signed him before he got there. It was a five-year, $102MM pact with an opt-out after three seasons. A major knee injury wiped out 2023 for Díaz but he bounced back in the two subsequent seasons. He just posted a 1.63 earned run average. His 38% strikeout rate wasn’t quite as gaudy as his 50% mark in 2022 but it was still very good. He triggered his opt out and is now a free agent for the first time.

Any club would be interested in adding him but he’s likely going to command another hefty deal. That puts clubs like the Dodgers in play, though Heyman’s suggestion that they aren’t likely to be aggressive with Díaz could help the Mets. That doesn’t mean he will be cheap, however. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic reports that Díaz is looking to get roughly the same deal he got last time.

That’s a bit of a tall ask. Díaz is still quite good but he’s turning 32 in March. As mentioned, his strikeout rate is still very strong but not quite as insane as it was a few years ago. MLBTR predicted him for $82MM over four years this time, roughly the same average annual value as his last deal but on a shorter term since he’s now three years older. Time will tell if he can match his previous pact but it should be a notable deal either way.

The Mets issued him a qualifying offer, which he will decline. The Mets presumably want to bring Díaz back but Stearns has generally opted for shorter-term commitments to pitchers since he took over the front office. If he lets Díaz sign elsewhere, it would hurt the bullpen but the Mets would receive a compensatory draft pick.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Sousa, Imagn Images

Kodai Senga Garnering Trade Interest

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Mets right-hander Kodai Senga has already garnered trade interest from multiple clubs, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports. The Mets aren’t known to be outright shopping the 2023 Rookie of the Year runner-up, but they’ve at least held discussions as they’ve been approached by interested teams.

Those who don’t follow the Mets closely might raise an eyebrow at the idea of a win-now club like the Mets trading a pitcher who carries a flat 3.00 ERA in 285 innings across 52 MLB starts. That includes a tidy 3.02 ERA in 113 1/3 innings this past season. However, Senga’s standing in the organization fell in the second half of the 2025 campaign. After a shoulder injury limited him to just one start in 2024, Senga returned on a hot streak, posting a 1.74 ERA in his first 13 trips to the mound.

That superlative production never appeared fully sustainable. Senga’s 23.9% strikeout rate was good but not great, and his 10.6% walk rate was nearly two percentage points higher than average. His .251 average on balls in play and 88% strand rate both seemed ripe for regression. Still, metrics like FIP (3.24) and SIERA (4.28) felt he was still a quality or at least serviceable arm even if his ERA was bound to take some steps back.

Senga sustained a calf strain in mid-June that sent him to the injured list for nearly one month. It’s a fairly innocuous-sounding injury, but whether he rushed back too soon or simply developed some bad mechanical habits while compensating for the resulting discomfort, the rest of Senga’s season was a nightmare. From July 11 through Aug. 31, he took the ball nine times and turned in a 5.90 ERA with a diminished 20.6% strikeout rate and an even more problematic 12.7% walk rate. And after allowing just 0.59 homers per nine innings in his first 13 starts, Senga’s HR/9 mark more than tripled during that miserable nine-start stretch (1.82).

The Mets optioned Senga to Triple-A — a move to which the right-hander had to consent — in hopes of getting him back on track. Senga, however, didn’t return to the majors in the season’s final month. The Mets rode a contingent of rookies down the stretch, leaning heavily on Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat in the rotation as they eventually narrowly missed a return to postseason play.

The fact that Senga didn’t return to the majors leaves him as something of a question mark. He made two starts in Triple-A following his demotion: one very good (six innings, one run, eight strikeouts, no walks) and another very poor (3 2/3 innings, four runs, two walks, one hit batter, four strikeouts). It’s difficult to glean exactly which version of Senga will show up. Outstanding as he was during his rookie season, injuries and this year’s second-half struggles have limited him to a total of 146 innings (majors and minors combined) across the past two seasons.

If the Mets had four healthy, mostly established other options in the rotation, it’d be easier to simply hope for a Senga rebound. They lack that stability, however. New York’s rotation will surely include McLean, who dazzled as a rookie. Veteran David Peterson finished with a respectable 4.22 ERA but faceplanted down the stretch, pitching to an 8.42 ERA over his final nine starts. Reliever-turned-starter Clay Holmes had a successful move to the rotation but only pitched beyond five innings four times in his final 18 appearances and posted ugly strikeout and walk rates in that time (15.8 K%, 10.6 BB%). Sean Manaea posted a 5.64 ERA in just 60 2/3 frames thanks to injuries. Frankie Montas and Tylor Megill both had UCL surgery. Tong and Sproat have sizable upside but remain unproven.

Given all that tumult in the starting staff, rotation help is a natural priority for the Mets this winter. That only makes uncertainty surrounding Senga all the more confounding. On the one hand, selling low on a pitcher who has often looked like a top-of-the-rotation arm and is at least ostensibly healthy seems like a risk the team can ill afford to take. On the other hand, Senga’s uneven 2025 season is a driving factor behind the Mets’ current rotation instability. If they’re not confident he can get back on track, moving him now would be prudent. It’d only become more difficult to deal Senga if he suffers an early injury or pitches poorly despite a clean bill of health.

The Mets owe Senga $14MM in both 2026 and 2027. If he suffers a major elbow injury that requires surgery, a conditional $15MM club option would be tacked onto the deal. A total guarantee of two years and $28MM is eminently affordable, although the Mets are effectively paying double that amount since they’re being hit with a 110% tax on all dollars spent over the top tier of the luxury tax threshold.

Senga’s contract included a full no-trade clause covering the first three seasons of the five-year pact. That’s now shrunk to a limited 10-team no-trade list for the final two years of the deal. The list of teams to which he can block a move isn’t clear at present, but the Mets have more latitude to trade him than in the past.

New York certainly isn’t going to just dump the remainder of Senga’s contract for no return. There’s far too much upside, particularly relative to his modest salary. Any team looking to pry Senga loose will have to offer up some actual talent, though clearly not as much as Senga would command were he coming off a healthy, successful season. Then again, if Senga were coming off that type of season, the very idea of trading him would be a nonstarter for the Mets. Questions about his health, mechanics and results have at least nudged Senga onto the periphery of the trade market, but those same factors also make him an incredibly tricky asset on which to find common ground with another club.

Mets Interested In Tatsuya Imai

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The Mets are interested in Japanese right-hander Tatsuya Imai, according to Andy Martino of SNY. Imai has not been officially posted yet, but his team, the Saitama Seibu Lions of NPB, recently announced that they intend to do so. Martino notes that the Mets’ level of interest is not the same as it was for Yoshinobu Yamamoto two offseasons ago, implying that Imai is simply one of several arms the club is looking into.

Imai, 27, has pitched for the Lions for eight years and is a three-time NPB All-Star. After middling results in his first three seasons from 2018-20, he pitched to a 3.30 ERA in 25 starts in 2021 and has posted a sub-3.00 ERA in every full season since (he only made nine starts in 2022). This year, Imai turned in a career-best effort with a 1.92 ERA in 163 2/3 innings across 24 starts. He also set a career high with a 27.8% strikeout rate while decreasing his walk rate to a career-low 7.0%. His season was highlighted by a combined no-hitter on April 18, in which he pitched the first eight innings, as well as a 17-strikeout performance on June 17 that broke the club record previously set by Daisuke Matsuzaka.

The NPB requires players to have nine years of service time before they become unrestricted free agents. By allowing Imai to pursue a move to MLB one year early, the Lions will secure a posting fee based on the value of his contract. We at MLBTR project Imai for a six-year, $150MM contract and placed him seventh on our Top 50 Free Agents list. Based on that projection, any signing team would owe the Lions a $24.375MM posting fee. In terms of stuff, Imai boasts a 95-99 mph fastball as well as a slider and changeup. Based on that profile and his recent track record, he’ll be an intriguing target for clubs in need of starting pitching. That said, Martino notes that industry opinion is mixed on whether he can succeed as an MLB starter.

As for the Mets, it comes as no surprise that they would like to reinforce their rotation. The club’s starters ranked 18th in the majors with a 4.13 ERA in 2025, although they did lead the league with a 49.4% groundball rate. David Peterson, Clay Holmes, and Kodai Senga led the team in innings pitched, although Senga only made 22 starts due to missing a month with a right hamstring strain and being optioned to the minors in September. Peterson was worth 3.1 fWAR this year and is projected to earn $7.6MM in arbitration, while Holmes is under contract for $13MM with a player option for 2027. Beyond those three, the rotation picture is less certain. Frankie Montas declined to opt out of his contract, but he is a candidate to be released since he will miss next season recovering from a UCL surgery in August. Sean Manaea missed most of the season with a right oblique strain and struggled upon his return. Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat, and Jonah Tong all debuted in 2025 and will factor into the rotation, though owner Steve Cohen has never been shy about spending big on free agents. Signing Imai could provide stability in the rotation behind Peterson, Holmes, and Senga while easing the rookies into larger roles.

Mets, Jose Rojas Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Mets agreed to a minor league deal with infielder/outfielder Jose Rojas, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The Gaeta Sports client will be invited to major league camp this spring and would be paid $820K if he makes the roster.

Rojas, 32, hasn’t appeared in the majors since 2022 but is coming off a monster 2025 season with the Yankees’ Triple-A club. The lefty-swinging slugger popped 32 home runs last year, tops in the Triple-A International League, and slashed .287/.379/.599 overall (153 wRC+). Since his last MLB appearance with the ’22 Angels, he’s spent a year in the Korea Baseball Organization (.253/.345/.474 with the Doosan Bears) and bounced between the Triple-A affiliates for the Pirates and Yankees.

All of Rojas’ big league experience has come with the Angels. He’s struggled considerably, hitting just .188/.245/.339 with a 28.6% strikeout rate — albeit in a relatively small sample of 241 plate appearances. He’s consistently torched Triple-A pitching in a much larger sample of 2050 plate appearances.

Defensively, Rojas is experienced at all four corner positions and, to a lesser extent, second base (865 innings). He played the outfield exclusively during his 2023 season in the KBO and has primarily played the infield and outfield corners since returning to North American ball. He’ll vie for a bench spot in camp and give the Mets some thump to stash in Triple-A if he doesn’t make the roster. Rojas also has a minor league option remaining, so if he’s selected to the 40-man at any point he can be shuttled between Syracuse and Queens without needing to be exposed to waivers.

Poll: Should The Mets Trade Kodai Senga?

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After missing the playoffs this year, the Mets are poised to aggressively shake up their pitching staff this winter. Their starters posted a 4.13 ERA this year, good for just 18th in baseball, and that’s in part due to the cautious approach they took to building their staff last year.

After spending a massive amount to lure Juan Soto to Queens, president of baseball operations David Stearns seemed reluctant to engage the top free agent starters too aggressively and wound up focusing on mid-level and bounceback arms instead. Clay Holmes converted from the bullpen to the rotation, New York took a flier on Frankie Montas after a weak 2024, and the big addition was a reunion with Sean Manaea. The strategy did not work out. Holmes did fine, turning in a solid mid-rotation performance, but Montas barely pitched and turned in atrocious results when he did, while Manaea was limited to just 15 appearances and was moved to the bullpen late in the year amid his own struggles.

On paper, the Mets head into the offseason with a full rotation for 2026: Holmes, Manaea, and right-hander Kodai Senga are all under contract, and controllable arms like David Peterson, Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat give the team more than enough arms to fill out a rotation. McLean is widely viewed as a front-of-the-rotation caliber arm, but relying on him to be an ace after just eight MLB starts would be risky. Tong and Sproat are even less established with lower ceilings, and each of Holmes, Manaea, and Peterson fit better in the middle to back of a team’s rotation.

Aside from McLean, Senga has the highest ceiling of all the club’s starting pitching options. In 52 starts with the Mets over the past three years, he’s pitched to a 3.00 ERA and a 3.82 FIP with a 26.8% strikeout rate. Those are generally quite impressive numbers, and on paper it might seem like the Mets can count on McLean and Senga as a potential front-of-the-rotation duo for next year.

That only appears to be the case on paper, however. After a strong rookie season in the majors, Senga missed all but one start in 2024 due to shoulder and calf issues. He returned to the mound in 2025 and looked like his old self early on, with a 1.47 ERA and 3.24 FIP across 73 2/3 innings of work through mid-June. He missed a month due to a hamstring strain that brought that stretch to an end, however, and when he returned he looked like a shell of himself. He pitched to a 5.90 ERA with a 5.76 FIP across his final nine appearances of the year, struck out just 20.6% of his opponents, and walked 12.7%. He pitched into the sixth inning just once in that time, and failed to finish the fifth inning in six of those starts.

Things got bad enough for Senga that he was optioned to Triple-A in early September, a move that he consented to. Even at the club’s Syracuse affiliate, he struggled to a 4.66 ERA across two starts before his season came to a close in mid-September. Last month, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo indicated that the Mets don’t know what to expect from Senga in 2026. Even if they had made the playoffs, Senga would’ve only been activated to the playoff roster if the club suffered multiple injuries to the rotation. It’s harder to know if a pitcher who will be 33 in January will bounce back than it would be for a younger arm, as well. Stearns’s postseason words on Senga weren’t exactly a vote of confidence, either:

“Kodai has had two very inconsistent, challenging years in a row,” Stearns said, as relayed by DiComo. “We know it’s in there. We know there’s potential. We’re going to do everything we can to help get it out of him. But look, can we put him in ink as making 30 starts next year? I think that would be foolish.”

So, with more starting pitchers than they have spots for and a desire to bring in more surefire options, would the Mets entertain a trade for Senga? It’s possible that a change of scenery could make sense for both sides. Senga could prefer to get a fresh start in 2026 with a club that can offer him a more reliable rotation spot than the Mets might be able to, and New York might see a trade as a way to bolster their pipeline of young talent during an offseason where they might look to get aggressive on the trade market to improve the rotation.

The Mets haven’t been a team concerned with posting sky-high payrolls under Steve Cohen, but if they do have a desire to cut payroll to a less extreme level this winter, then parting with a $15MM hit in luxury tax dollars could be attractive as well. On the other hand, Senga’s potential would be hard to part with. He’s clearly shown himself capable of being a front-of-the-rotation caliber arm as recently as the first half of this season. If the right-hander manages to get back on track elsewhere, it would be a tough pill for the Mets to swallow.

While Senga’s deep struggles and uncertain future might make the Mets willing to listen to offers on Senga, his potential might lead them to keep the asking price for his services quite high. Perhaps there’s a deal to be worked out with a team willing to bet on Senga and surrender a controllable position player at an area of need for the Mets, like first base or center field. The Red Sox stand out as one intriguing fit given Triston Casas’s own uncertain future and high upside, not to mention the rumblings that have connected Boston to Mets slugger Pete Alonso in free agency.

How do MLBTR readers think the Mets will approach Senga this offseason? Will they look to keep him in the fold, even as he approaches his mid-30s with no guarantees he’ll bounce back? Or could they look to move him this winter to bolster the roster in other areas and avoid that risk? Have your say in the poll below:

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