Mets right-hander Kodai Senga has indicated to the club that he would prefer to remain in Queens for next season rather than be traded elsewhere this winter, according to a report from Will Sammon of The Athletic. Sammon adds, however, that the Mets might still trade him this offseason. Senga’s contract includes a ten-team no-trade clause that gives him limited say over where he can be traded.
The news is noteworthy given the fact that Senga, 33 in January, is a known trade candidate who the Mets have indicated they’re open to offers on and has drawn interest from rival organizations. Sammon notes that some teams don’t view this year’s crop of free agent starters particularly highly, and that lukewarm interest in those arms has led some teams to view Senga as a buy-low candidate worth considering. The right-hander’s appeal is somewhat obvious; he has a career 3.00 ERA and 3.82 FIP across three seasons in this majors, and just this past season offered the Mets with a 3.02 ERA across 22 starts.
That’s solid production for a starter as it is, and the fact that Senga will make just $28MM over the next two years (with an affordable club option for the 2028 season) figures to make Senga all the more attractive given that last year’s free agent market saw one-year rolls of the dice on veterans with health or age question marks like Alex Cobb and Charlie Morton cost $15MM. Opportunities to add a potential front-of-the-rotation talent on that affordable of a deal are few and far between, and that’s sure to draw interest from plenty of suitors.
That shouldn’t be taken to mean there aren’t complicating factors at play, of course. After all, the Mets themselves are in need of top-of-the-rotation impact in their rotation. They wouldn’t consider dealing Senga at this juncture if there wasn’t some cause for concern. Talented and productive as the right-hander clearly is, Senga has been unreliable during his time in Queens. He’s made just 52 starts at the big league level across three seasons after he missed nearly the entire 2024 campaign due to shoulder and calf issues. 2025 saw him battle a hamstring strain that caused him to miss a month of playing time, and he posted a 5.90 ERA in nine starts following his return to the mound before he agreed to be optioned to Triple-A for the remainder of the 2025 season in early September.
That Senga was pulled from the rotation entirely when the Mets were fighting for their playoff lives suggests a lack of confidence in the righty from Mets personnel, and president of baseball operations David Stearns himself called it “foolish” to count on Senga to make a full slate of starts headed into 2025. There’s an argument to be made that Senga’s issues regarding injuries and inconsistencies are more likely to get worse than improve as he heads into his mid-30s, and a Mets rotation that’s deep in viable options but lacking in reliable impact talent might prefer to use that spot in the rotation on a more reliable free agent or trade acquisition.
The Mets have already shown this offseason they aren’t afraid to shake up the team’s status quo, shipping out long time Met Brandon Nimmo in a deal that brought back Marcus Semien. Other Mets stalwarts like Jeff McNeil are known to be on the trading block as well, and after the club’s disappointing 2025 season it seems as though the Mets clubhouse will look very different next year. Whether or not that includes Senga could depend on the specifics of his no-trade list. If the Mets are truly motivated to move on from Senga, they’d surely be able to do so to one of the league’s 20 teams that Senga can’t block a deal to.
Things might not be that simple, however, as Senga’s upside and value on the market would surely make them hesitant to deal him for an underwhelming return. The teams on Senga’s no-trade list aren’t presently known, so it’s entirely possible that the clubs most aggressively interested in his services are also ones he can block a deal to. While today’s news of Senga’s preference to stay in New York certainly shouldn’t lead anyone to rule out the possibility of him being dealt, it’s undeniable that it creates at least a possible obstacle to the Mets finding a deal they’re happy with.
If Senga does stay in Queens, that shouldn’t preclude the club from bringing in another top-of-the-rotation arm. Top prospect Nolan McLean, right-hander Clay Holmes, southpaw Sean Manaea, and lefty David Peterson figure to round out the Mets’ rotation alongside Senga as things stand. McLean has options remaining but figures to be a lock for the rotation given his results in 2025 and prospect pedigree. Manaea, Peterson, and Holmes all cannot be optioned to the minors but have experience pitching out of the bullpen, which could create some flexibility if necessary. Trading one of those three could be a plausible solution as well, though none would seem likely to bring back as strong of a return as Senga and Manaea in particular could be difficult to move given his hefty salary and difficult 2025 campaign.
I prefer Senga pitch every 5th day…
Isn’t Senga more effective every 6th day?
I do think it odd to trade an affordable starter that has shown effectiveness. He even agreed to be optioned.
I agree with this, too. Guy seems to be made of glass and needs perfect conditions to be effective. He’s been in the majors long enough to make that transition by now… If he can’t make that work, move on. It becomes a distraction and a hindrance for the rest of the rotation otherwise.
“offered the Mets with a 3.02 ERA across 22 starts.”
Huh???
I am curious if the Yankees are on his no trade list…They would be granting him his wish to stay in NY…lol
The Mets got their once-a-decade trip to the NLCS out of the way so we’re back to Mets are gonna Mets…
“not gonna lie have you ever seen more hollow of stats that juan soto produced”
Are you ok?
What’s hollow are the two marbles rolling around in your head and always bumping into each other!
You described Kyle Tucker for empty calorie stats. He rode the coattails of primetime guys like Altuve/Yordan/Correa/Springer in Houston when it mattered. Hit that bottom 8th HR up 5-0 vs Milw off a mopup guy and folded in key rbi spots otherwise when stars worth multi hundreds mil guaranteed are supposed to demonstrate why they are worth superstar $$. Team who pays will have to love IL time and worship spreadsheet stats vs junk SPs/low leverage BP arms in regular season.
OTOH Soto good under pressure-not psyched out by big moments.
Rsox may not want to hear it, but the greatest modern tradition in baseball has to be LOLmets.
Good to hear, Senga just needs to get healthy. Great pitcher when healthy.
Orioles/Angels/Astros/A’s a short list in other league that could use a SP boost. Guessing not all are blocked.
A’s would be a good fit. Go Sacramento!!
“Return to Senga… address unknown…”
Senga was leading the league in ERA until Pete Alonso couldn’t make a routing toss to the bag. Now that Alonso’s gone, Senga and the other pitchers are safe. Whoever signs Alonso better get extra insurance for their pitchers. I’ve been saying the Mets had a chemistry problem and that’s exactly what happened. They are only talking about Lindor, Soto and McNeil, but I’m sure Alonso was also involved. NYC sports writers seem to want to exclude Alonso from any controversy. I knew the second David Wright stated that Lindor was the next team captain, there were problems. Nimmo and Alonso were on the team longer. The easy solution is to let Pete walk and trade McNeil. Semien and Soto are by the book, so it will tame the celebratory nonsense of the team.
You are funny!
One of the best comments I’ve ever seen on MLBTR
The Giants will take Senga off your hands, thank you very much.
This article makes a strong case as to why the Mets would hang on to Senga imo. Who are they signing to replace him that’s be better value than Senga himself?
Offensively the Mets are not that great. Vientos is a guy who had a strong first half in 2024. Since then has struggled. Baty is weak but maybe finally making a step forward. Lindor is a streaky hitter who before waking up that first yr was a player who was going backwards offensively every yr since his break out in Cleveland.
McNeil probably your best bats next to Soto but getting older. Siemens 1 good yr 2 bad, 1 good 2 bad. Been that way since Oakland. Soto decent but not really clutch. Alot of groundballs. Might end up being the NYM version of Jason Heyward when he gets older. On top of all that he has no protection and if McNeal slumps you have no consistent hitter to carry that lineup…Just a honest observation Mets fans .
Jason Hayward could field his position.
I got a nice chuckle out of you describing Soto as “decent”. You have a wonderful sense of humor. Why don’t you go all out and call him a bust?
I don’t know what it is about the Mets that brings out the craziest and dumbest posters on this site. Mets were 6th in the NL in runs and 9th in MLB. This guy says they were ‘not that great’ and that Soto is ‘decent’ despite Soto leading the NL in offensive WAR (higher than Ohtani) and finishing 3rd in MLB behind Judge and Raleigh.
“he has a career 3.00 ERA and 3.82 FIP across three seasons in this majors, and just this past season offered the Mets with a 3.02 ERA across 22 starts.”
Where did these guys learn to write?
I think Mets fans are so desperate for news of more trades and especially FA signings, that people like Puma of the NYPost thinks he’ll get thousands of clicks if he becomes the chief gossip supplier of the Mets. I refuse to click on that dreck. Today I see someone posted a “debunk” of the Mets so-called turmoil. McNeil and Lindor aren’t buddies. So what? About Senga, his upside is so much bigger than his trade return, I’d definitely keep him.
Senga had a bad second half after an injury and still finished with the best ERA on the team and he’s proven he’s a solid front end starter. Calls for trading him, especially with several other starters who are trash like Holmes, Peterson, Megill and Manaea is ridiculous.
Trash, yes, repeat after me: Holmes and Peterson are trash. Wanna trade them for a bag of balls? Wanna fire Stearns to? Is Cohen also trash too? Carlos, sober up!
You think he started to decline in the second half? No kidding, you must follow the team closely. Thanks for your insights.
You KNOW he started declining second half. Because everyone knows that.
I was being sarcastic.
Senga isn’t someone I’m willing to chase out of New York. If he’s saying he’d like to stay, I’d support that and role with him. Still need to add starting pitching tho.
@angt222,
You gotta consider Senga in context, how he fits in Mets 2026 rotation after the past two seasons of injury and uneven performance. It makes sense to trade him and add a more reliable starter. Mets need more certainty than Senga provides but he can be a good fit for other teams and Mets can fill some other holes/needs short or long term with who they get in return.
On the human side yeah, trading a player from another culture who wants to stay and is comfortable where he is after making the adjustment, tugs at heartstrings. The business side vs. the human side can be harsh.
With Heff gone one would think that he may just bounce back a bit. The horrific contract doled out to Manaea is the one they need to work on getting rid of.
Alex Cobb and Charlie Morton are exactly what is on Stearns menu
Most players like to stay with their original team (in this case US), so that’s not really a big surprise. But the trade rumors are coming from somewhere.
With the reported issues in the Mets clubhouse, it sounds like they need to resolve their internal issues and come together as a team more than anything else if they want to win. They have enough talent, or at least paid enough for it.
“Talented and productive as the right-hander clearly is” is NOT proper English. You can’t just leave “as” out to start the sentence because you feel like it. Proper grammar isn’t optional.