Three Starting Pitchers Looking To Bounce Back In 2026
Many teams added to their rotations this offseason. Some opted to raise their ceiling by signing big-name free agents. The Blue Jays brought in Dylan Cease, the Red Sox signed Ranger Suarez, and the Tigers added Framber Valdez, to name a few. Others tried to maintain their floor by retaining existing starters and acquiring depth. The Padres fit the latter mold, as they brought in Griffin Canning, Germán Márquez, and Walker Buehler on low-cost deals this week.
While starting pitchers aren’t quite as volatile as relievers, injuries and underperformance still led many to post tough seasons in 2025. Tonight, we take a look at three bounce-back candidates: a top free agent, a veteran starter, and a minor-league signing.
Top Free Agent: Zac Gallen
Gallen has been a front-of-the-rotation arm at his best. From 2022-23, he posted a 3.04 ERA in 394 innings for the Diamondbacks. He struck out 26.4% of hitters in that span and ranked eighth among qualified starters with a 20.4% K-BB rate. His 9.3 fWAR ranked sixth ahead of Giants ace Logan Webb. Entering his age-28 season in 2024, there was reason to believe Gallen would continue to pitch at his prime level.
His numbers that year were still solid, if a step down from ace territory. Gallen missed a month with a right hamstring strain but still made 28 starts with a 3.65 ERA. He actually upped his groundball rate from 41.8% in 2023 to 46.2% in 2024. That said, his strikeout and walk rates both trended in the wrong direction, the latter now closer to average after two years of excellent control. Gallen slipped further in 2025. Though he stayed healthy and covered 192 innings in 33 starts, his ERA jumped to a career-high 4.83, his first below-average mark since 2021. The strikeouts slipped further to 21.5%, while his expected stats (4.28 xERA) suggest he was better than the surface numbers, but not by much.
Gallen entered the offseason as a buy-low candidate, as far as former aces go. We at MLBTR projected him for a four-year, $80MM contract even after his down year. In the end, his market didn’t develop as hoped. Gallen settled for a one-year, $22.025MM reunion with Arizona that nominally matched the value of the team’s qualifying offer in November.
Obviously, the team would love to see him return to his 2022-23 form. At the very least, Gallen figures to provide 30 starts of mid-rotation production, though he’ll undoubtedly aim for more in hopes of securing a multi-year contract next time around. The key for Gallen will be refining his breaking pitches, which graded out poorly in 2025 by Statcast’s run value metric. His curveball was worth 15 runs above average in 2024, but that fell to -4 this year, with opponents slugging over .200 more on the pitch. He’ll also look to bring up the strikeouts and keep the ball in the yard, having allowed the third-most home runs (31) of any qualified starter in 2025.
Veteran Starter: Sean Manaea
Manaea re-signed with the Mets on a three-year, $75MM deal during the 2024-25 offseason. At the time, he was coming off a strong 3.47 ERA in 181 2/3 innings in his return to full-time starting pitching (having mostly been a reliever for the Giants in 2023). With New York in 2024, Manaea struck hitters out at a 24.9% clip and did a decent job at keeping the ball in the yard compared to his career numbers. His .249 BABIP suggested he benefitted from good luck, but even so, he figured to provide solid, mid-rotation value on his new deal.
Unfortunately, his 2025 season was the exact opposite of his 2024. Manaea went down with a right oblique strain in March and missed the first three and a half months of the season. At one point, he experienced a setback when the team found loose bodies in his throwing elbow. Finally debuting on July 13, he made 15 appearances (12 starts) with a 5.64 ERA. Curiously, he posted that high ERA despite striking out a career-best 28.5% of hitters and walking a career-low 4.6%. Meanwhile, his expected stats (4.00 xERA and 3.30 xFIP) painted a much better picture than his surface-level numbers.
On the other hand, Manaea struggled badly with the long ball in 2025, allowing 13 in just 60 2/3 innings (1.93 HR/9). He also curiously ditched his sinker, which was worth 10 runs above average in 2024, to instead throw his four-seamer over 60% of the time. Opponents slugged .129 higher against the four-seamer compared to 2024, when he used it half as much. Manaea also upped his sweeper usage but saw diminished results, including a 9.6% drop in strikeout rate and a .148 increase in slugging.
Perhaps that was a mechanical problem. Manaea adopted a lower arm slot in 2024 and had a very productive second half. The combination of his oblique injury and further attempted mechanical adjustments may have contributed to his poor 2025 numbers, per Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (link via Alex Smith of SNY). The keys for him in 2026 will be regaining his pre-injury mechanics, differentiating the two fastballs like he did in 2024, and continuing to get chases on the sweeper.
Minor-League Signing: Walker Buehler
The current version of Buehler is far from the one who finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting in 2021. The now 31-year-old has pitched 266 1/3 innings since the end of that campaign. He missed all of 2023 while recovering from August 2022 Tommy John surgery. He returned for 16 starts in 2024, but the results were decidedly poor. Buehler struck out just 18.6% of hitters against an 8.1% walk rate and allowed nearly two home runs per nine innings. His once-vaunted four-seamer was now his least valuable pitch at 13 runs below average. Buehler pitched well in the postseason for the World Series-winning Dodgers, though. The Red Sox then took a chance on a one-year, $21.05MM deal.
Unfortunately, 2025 was not kind to him either. Buehler pitched 126 innings in 26 appearances (24 starts) with a 4.93 ERA. His velocity was down on every pitch except his slider. His strikeout rate fell to just 16.3%, while his 5.5% K-BB rate was fifth-worst among starters with at least 100 innings pitched. Boston released him at the end of August. Though he did alright in a small sample with the Phillies after that, it was clear that Buehler wouldn’t do nearly as well on the market this time around.
Now competing for a back-of-the-rotation spot in San Diego, Buehler will have to work hard to regain some value. He could start with adjusting his pitch mix. He has already steadily decreased his four-seam usage as it continues to lose velocity. Meanwhile, Buehler’s sinker was well-regarded by Statcast in 2025, grading out as 6 runs above average. Making the sinker his primary fastball might help him evolve into a soft-contact, groundball pitcher. His hard-hit percentage and average exit velocity were in the 70th percentile or better in 2025, so building on that might be his best path to prolonging his career.
Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images
Mets Notes: Alonso, Marte, Manaea
First baseman Pete Alonso has already said he will be opting out of his deal with the Mets and re-entering free agency, which could set up another will-they-won’t-they winter. A report from Will Sammon of The Athletic suggests that the Mets aren’t thrilled with Alonso’s defense and that spending more time at designated hitter may be necessary if the two sides do end up reuniting.
Alonso has been a mainstay at first base for the Mets for many years. He has started at least 134 games there in each of the past six full seasons, including at least 160 games in each of the past two campaigns.
While that reliable presence is valuable, the actual results have been less consistent. Defensive Runs Saved oscillated between giving Alonso positive and negative grades earlier in his career but has soured on him more recently. He was credited with a -3 score last year and -9 this season, bringing him down to -7 for his whole career. Outs Above Average has been more consistently down on him, as 2021 is the only year that metric had him above average. He’s at -33 for his career overall, including -8 in 2024 and -9 in 2025.
Alonso has only ever played for the Mets but the club seemed willing to let him go last winter. He reached free agency and lingered unsigned until February, when he and the Mets finally reunited on a two-year, $54MM deal which allowed him to opt out after the first season. Just prior to that reunion, Mets owner Steve Cohen publicly complained about the “exhausting” negotiations.
It was often speculated last offseason that the Mets were willing to let Alonso walk. At that point, the Mets would perhaps move Mark Vientos from third base to first base, leaving the hot corner open for someone like Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio or Luisangel Acuña. Now that Alonso is returning to free agency, that kind of speculation might return.
It’s unknown if Alonso is willing to spend more time in the DH slot or if he prides himself on continuing to be out there at first. If he is open to it, the Mets could accommodate him. Most of their DH at-bats went to Starling Marte this year, with Jesse Winker also in the mix before he got hurt. Both players are impending free agents, so the Mets could offer plenty of DH time to Alonso or someone else.
It’s also possible Alonso plays for a team other than the Mets for the first time. He didn’t get the long-term deal he was looking for last winter but his upcoming market could be stronger. He won’t be attached to a qualifying offer this time since players can only receive the QO once. He’s also coming off a better offensive platform, having increased his batting line from .240/.329/.459 in 2024 to .272/.347/.524 in 2025. But on the other hand, he’s about to turn 31 years old and other teams might be just as concerned about his glovework as the Mets.
Speaking of Marte, he spoke to Sammon this week, saying that he hopes to play for several more years and would be open to doing that as a Met. “Only God knows, but with continued good health, I’d love to have the opportunity to play at least three or four more years,” Marte said, “and continue to be part of this team and continue to help the young guys grow.”
Marte last reached free agency ahead of the 2022 season, when he was going into his age-33 campaign. He and the Mets agreed to a four-year, $78MM pact, which is now ending. The first year went well, as he slashed .292/.347/.468 for a 133 wRC+ and stole 18 bases.
However, he required groin surgery after that season and hasn’t been at that level since. He made multiple trips to the IL in 2023 and hit just .248/.301/.324 for a wRC+ of 75. He has bounced back somewhat in the two most recent seasons. He just hit .270/.335/.410 for a 112 wRC+ this year but, as mentioned, was mostly a DH. He only logged 65 innings in the outfield.
The bat is still decent but he’s about to turn 37 years old, so he’s probably ticketed for a part-time role somewhere. Based on Sammon’s piece, Marte seems to also provide intangibles as a clubhouse leader. That could help his market somewhat but he’ll have considerably less earning power than in his previous trip to free agency. As mentioned, the Mets have DH at-bats available, though they will probably wait to see how things go with Alonso and other free agents before they consider bringing back Marte.
Elsewhere on the roster, Andy Martino of SNY provides an update on left-hander Sean Manaea. Martino says Manaea finished the season with his elbow feeling good and may not need surgery, though the final decision will wait until after a cool-down period.
Manaea began the season on the injured list due to an oblique strain. He was working back from that injury in June when a loose body was found in his elbow. Despite that elbow issue, he made it back from the IL in July.
His results from there weren’t great, though there was less concern under the hood. A 5.64 earned run average is obviously not good but his 28.5% strikeout rate and 4.6% walk rate were both strong. He allowed 13 home runs in just 60 2/3 innings, with a home run to flyball rate of 19.4% in that small sample. His 3.08 SIERA, a measure that corrects for such abnormalities, suggested his ERA would have been much better with some normalization in a larger sample size.
The Mets signed the lefty to a three-year, $75MM deal coming into this season. They will obviously want him to be fully healthy and back to his usual self next year, especially with questions all throughout the rest of their rotation. The fact that he’s trending towards not needing surgery is encouraging, though further updates should be forthcoming in the future.
Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images
Mets Designate Chris Devenski For Assignment
The Mets announced this morning that they’ve designated right-hander Chris Devenski for assignment. Devenski’s spot on the active roster will go to left-hander Sean Manaea, who has been activated from the paternity list.
Devenski, 35 in November, signed a minor league deal with the Mets last offseason and has served in an up-and-down role for the club this year. He’s made 13 appearances for the Mets in total this season and was already DFA’d by New York once before in late July, though he signed a major league deal with the club just a few days later and has remained in the organization ever since. All together, he’s posted a 2.16 ERA with a 3.51 FIP in 16 2/3 innings of work while striking out 21.5% of his opponents against a 7.7% walk rate.
Those are perfectly solid numbers, and his 3.35 ERA and 20.8% strikeout rate across 35 appearances with Triple-A Syracuse this year is largely consistent with that. Despite the minimal playing time at the big league level, 2025 represents something of a return to form for Devenski. A 25th-rounder drafted by the White Sox all the way back in 2011, Devenski made his big league debut in Houston during the 2016 season and was a big part of the Astros bullpen in the early days of their dynasty. In 305 1/3 innings from 2016 to 2019, Devenski posted a 3.21 ERA with a 3.49 FIP and even picked up an All-Star appearance during the 2017 campaign.
Unfortunately, he’s been unable to find his footing since struggling in a small role with the Astros during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. Since the start of 2020, Devenski has bounced between six organizations at the big league level. Prior to joining the Mets this year, he had pitched to a 6.46 ERA with a 5.30 FIP in 82 appearances over the past half decade, including a 6.75 ERA in 26 2/3 innings of work for the Rays last year. If some club views Devenski’s strong performance in a minor role with the Mets this year as evidence he’s put his years of struggles since leaving Houston behind him, then it wouldn’t be a shock to see Devenski garner some interest on the free agent market this winter.
As for Manaea, the Mets recently moved him to the bullpen for the remainder of the season amid his struggles to find success in the rotation this year. That move has paid off so far, as the lefty threw five innings of one-run ball in long relief against the Padres last week. Now that Manaea is back from the paternity list, he’ll likely have another opportunity or two to pitch this week as the Mets fight to hold onto their spot in the playoffs amid strong pushes from Cincinnati and Arizona to get back into the conversation.
MLBTR Podcast: The Struggling Mets, Bryce Eldridge, And Trey Yesavage
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Mets moving Sean Manaea to the bullpen and optioning Kodai Senga (1:50)
- The Diamondbacks, Reds and Giants, who are trying to chase down the Mets (13:40)
- The Giants promoting Bryce Eldridge (19:40)
- The Blue Jays promoting Trey Yesavage (25:30)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- Will the Astros trade Christian Walker in the offseason and move Isaac Paredes over to first base? (38:45)
- Will the Braves make any shocking trades of their core this offseason? (47:40)
- Will the Red Sox nab a postseason spot and can they make a deep postseason run? (55:00)
Check out our past episodes!
- Talking Mariners With Jerry Dipoto – listen here
- A Conversation With Pirates GM Ben Cherington — Also The O’s, Zack Wheeler, And The Rangers – listen here
- The Pohlads Aren’t Selling The Twins, Nathaniel Lowe, And Service Time Manipulation – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images
Mets Moving Sean Manaea To The Bullpen
The Mets are moving left-hander Sean Manaea to the bullpen, according to a report from Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic. Manaea told reporters before today’s game against the Rangers that he’s set to be available out of the bullpen during the game, and that if he’s not used in tonight’s game he’s likely to be used in relief of starter Clay Holmes for Tuesday’s series opener against the Padres.
The Mets, as noted by Sammon and Britton, have used a six-man rotation recently thanks to the promotions of rookies Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean. With days off both tomorrow and next Monday, however, the Mets are opting to go back down to five starters through the end of the regular season. McLean (1.42 ERA in five starts) and Sproat (2.25 ERA in two starts) have both been nothing short of excellent, making it an easy decision to leave them both in the rotation alongside Holmes and Peterson. That left one spot in the rotation for Manaea and Tong, and New York will stick with the 22-year-old despite his six-run blow-up outing against the Rangers on Friday.
It’s hard to view that as anything other than a reflection of Manaea’s poor performance this year. The lefty was crucial to New York’s success in both the regular season and postseason last year, but was sidelined until just before the All-Star break by an oblique strain and a loose body in his elbow. His return to the mound hasn’t exactly inspired confidence, as he’s pitched to a 5.76 ERA in 50 innings of work across ten starts. While his 29.2% strikeout rate is incredibly impressive, particularly against a 4.6% walk rate, that’s led only to great peripherals like his 3.03 SIERA.
Manaea’s actual results have been well below par, and while much of that can be attributed to poor luck when it comes to sequencing and batted balls another real issue for the lefty has been keeping the ball in the park. He’s surrendered a career-high 9.4% barrel rate this year, and that’s led to ten home runs allowed this season. Perhaps move into a relief role can help him get things back on track over the final weeks of the regular season. If the Mets manage to make it to October despite their recent eight-game skid, Manaea will surely be crucial to keeping the pitching staff afloat regardless of what role he ends up pitching in.
Perhaps, if pitching in shorter bursts can help Manaea avoid the long ball over the next few weeks, he’ll be able to help stabilize a bullpen that has struggled badly of late. Ryan Helsley has never looked quite right since leaving the Cardinals, Reed Garrett and Ryne Stanek have faltered, and even Edwin Diaz blew a save and found himself on the hook for the loss in last night’s game against Texas. Typical pitching roles often go out the window in the postseason, and if Manaea is able to get big outs for the Mets in October out of the bullpen, they’d likely be happy to take that production even if it means him not being part of the rotation mix.
Another potential x-factor for the Mets is right-hander Kodai Senga, who has pitched like a front-of-the-rotation starter in the past but was optioned to Triple-A earlier this month after a string of eight starts where he pitched to a 6.56 ERA. Those starts came after a stint on the injured list due to a hamstring strain, however, and Senga looked incredible in six innings of work for Syracuse on Friday night. Perhaps he could bump Tong from the big league rotation before the end of the year if he continues to look good, and even if not Senga figures to be part of the Mets’ postseason pitching plans in some capacity if they make it there.
Mets Activate Sean Manaea From 60-Day Injured List
The Mets have activated left-hander Sean Manaea from the 60-day injured list for his season debut. Right-hander Austin Warren was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move, and the Mets already had a vacant 40-man spot for Manaea to take over.
Manaea, 33, has been sidelined all season by an oblique strain and a loose body in his left elbow. He’s now back and ready to resume pitching for a Mets club that’s in a tight battle with the Phillies over control for the NL East, though as noted by MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo he’s slated to pitch in relief of Clay Holmes in his return to the mound today before shifting into a rotation role in the future. The lefty’s rehab starts this season have left something to be desired, as he’s pitched to a 6.27 ERA in 18 2/3 innings of work. Even so, his return should be a major boost for the Mets rotation given that he was their major expenditure on the starting pitching market this past offseason.
That three-year, $75MM guarantee from the Mets is more than justified by his performance last year. The veteran lefty delivered a sterling performance in his first season with New York, where he pitched to a 3.47 ERA in 181 2/3 innings of work while making 32 starts and striking out 24.9% of his opponents. Manaea’s return means that the Mets’ on-paper starting rotation entering the 2025 campaign will be fully healthy for the first time when they return from the All-Star break, as Kodai Senga and Frankie Montas have both recently returned from their IL stints of their own that kept them sidelined for much of the first half.
That trio joins Clay Holmes and David Peterson to round out the Mets’ rotation, and now that the group is fully healthy the club’s need for additional starting pitching help is greatly reduced. Even so, the losses of Griffin Canning, Paul Blackburn, and Tylor Megill to the injured list mean that the Mets are likely to be in the market for some sort of starting pitching help, whether it’s a front-of-the-rotation arm who allows them to utilize a six-man rotation or a depth starter who can swing between the bullpen and rotation as needed. There figures to be plenty of demand for starting pitching, however, and with other clubs like the Cubs, Astros, and Blue Jays likely to be very aggressive on that front it could behoove the Mets to look more towards other areas of the roster as they look for upgrades this trade season, so long as they’re confident in the health of their current group of starters.
As for Warren, the 29-year-old righty has a 1.69 ERA in four appearances for the Mets this season. He’s pitched for the Angels and Giants as well across his five seasons in the majors, and has totaled a 3.00 ERA in 54 innings of work since making his debut back in 2021. He’ll head back to the minor leagues, where he has a career 3.98 ERA and a 26.1% strikeout rate in five seasons of work at Triple-A, and wait for his next opportunity.
Mets Notes: Vientos, Manaea, Outfield
Mets third baseman Mark Vientos, out more than three weeks due to a hamstring strain, tells the team’s beat that he expects to be activated from the injured list tomorrow (via Will Sammon of The Athletic). The Mets will need to make a decision as to how they’ll create active roster space for Vientos. Fellow young infielders Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio are both struggling at the moment, as is outfielder/designated hitter Jared Young.
The 25-year-old Baty shook off a terrible start to the season, finding his swing in mid-April and slashing .296/.352/.580 over his next 89 plate appearances. That production came in a fairly limited role — those 89 turns at the plate came over a span of about six weeks — but it was encouraging from the former top prospect. He’s since fallen back into a swoon, hitting just .179/.233/.299 this month (albeit with five hits in his past three games).
Mauricio, 24, has popped three homers in 62 plate appearances but slashed only .224/.274/.414 overall. He’s fanned at a 30.6% clip and has just eight hits in his past 41 plate appearances (including a home run last night). That marks his first MLB action since 2023. He missed the entire 2024 season after suffering a torn ACL during winter ball in the 2023-24 offseason.
Young, 29, is a journeyman in his first season with the Mets organization. The former Cubs and Cardinals farmhand posted huge numbers in the Korea Baseball Organization last year and has produced well in Triple-A Syracuse, but he’s hitting just .171/.227/.415 in 44 big league plate appearances. Like Mauricio, he’s swatted three homers in minimal playing time but generally struggled outside that flash of power.
Both Baty and Mauricio are in the last of their option years. Mauricio was already optioned once this season but spent fewer than 20 days in the minors and thus technically has not yet burned that final option year. Young has still has an option remaining beyond the current season.
A healthy Vientos could go a long way toward rejuvenating some of the Mets’ floundering offense — at least if he can get back to his 2024 form. The former second-round pick broke out with a .266/.322/.516 slash and 27 homers in just 111 games last year, but he’s hitting only .230/.298/.380 in 2025 — despite lowering his strikeout rate from 29.7% to 23.6%.
The Mets are also eagerly awaiting the return of left-hander Sean Manaea. The rotation suffered a pair of losses in the past two weeks, with both Kodai Senga (hamstring) and Tylor Megill (elbow) hitting the injured list. Frankie Montas returned and pitched well in his season debut this week, which helps to patch over some of that lost depth, but Manaea was arguably the Mets’ best starter down the stretch last season and is ticketed for a key role in the rotation.
Manaea has been out with an oblique strain. He was gearing up for a return and progressing through a rehab assignment when, earlier this week, imaging revealed a loose body in his elbow. President of baseball operations David Stearns downplayed concerns that it’s a serious issue. Manaea received an injection and was shut down for a couple days. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports that Manaea is playing catch today — his first throwing since that injection — and remains on track to return at some point next week.
Setbacks or new injuries for any of Senga, Megill, Montas or Manaea could guide the Mets’ approach at the trade deadline, but for now it seems the expectation is that there are no catastrophic injuries among them. Megill is about 10 days into what’s expected to be an absence of four to five weeks, at least, but that’s the longest-reaching outlook.
A greater need at the deadline could rest in the outfield. Mets outfielders are among the most productive group in the majors overall, but a disproportionate amount of that production has come from scorching-hot Juan Soto and continued steady production from Brandon Nimmo in left field. Mets center fielders are batting just .240/.302/.364 as a group this season, and the resulting 88 wRC+ checks in 18th in the majors. Even that modest batting line is a bit misleading, as it includes productive small-sample output from both Nimmo and Jeff McNeil. Tyrone Taylor has received the lion’s share of center field reps in 2025 but batted just .227/.284/.333 when patrolling the position. Jose Siri, José Azocar and Luisangel Acuña have combined for 31 plate appearances in center field and hit poorly as well.
McNeil is doing fine work at the plate and even robbed Marcell Ozuna of a home run in center the other day, but he had all of 16 major league innings of experience at the position entering the season. The Mets are currently choosing between McNeil’s hot bat and Taylor’s steady glove in center on any given day, but an acquisition could change that.
SNY’s Andy Martino writes that he expects the Mets to be in the market for a center fielder over the next five weeks, speculating on the possibility of Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins and Boston’s Jarren Duran. There’s no indication the Mets have reached out to inquire on either AL East outfielder, to be clear, nor have either the Orioles or Red Sox signaled that they’re planning to operate as deadline sellers. Still, given the struggles of most of the Mets’ center fielders, it’s a natural area of focus, and those would be two logical targets among a broader base of possible trade candidates.
If two of Vientos, Baty, Mauricio and Acuña were hitting well enough to justify regular playing time, perhaps living with McNeil playing out of position in center would be more palatable. As it is, with that quartet scuffling — Acuña has already been optioned to Syracuse — there’s an argument to be made that the Mets ought to shift McNeil back to the more familiar position and explore some center field possibilities as the deadline draws nearer. There’s still plenty of time for that group of young infielders to get right at the plate, and their performance over the next month will be telling, as it’ll likely have a direct impact on the team’s goals.
Mets Receiving Trade Interest In Paul Blackburn
With several teams around the league straining to find rotation help, the Mets have been receiving early interest in righty Paul Blackburn, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post. There’s no indication a trade is close, but there’s good reason to think the Mets might be amenable to an earlier-than-usual trade involving the veteran righty.
The Mets are currently six-deep in starters, with Blackburn the ostensible odd man out. Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill have all pitched well this season. All five have started at least a dozen games, and none has an ERA higher than Megill’s 3.76. Blacknburn’s most recent outing came in long relief, although Sherman notes that he could get a spot start or two with an upcoming run of 13 games in 13 days.
That said, both Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea are out on minor league rehab stints. The former has made four starts and built up to 76 pitches, while the latter tossed 46 pitches over 2 2/3 innings in his second rehab start two days ago. As such, Montas is the closer of the pair to returning and could even be ready to go next week. He’s slated to make his fifth rehab appearance tomorrow, but there’s still enough time left on his rehab clock that he could make two more starts if the team sees fit. Manaea’s rehab window extends into early July, as he only began his assignment on June 6.
One way or another, within the next two to three weeks, the Mets could find themselves with as many as seven or eight healthy rotation options. All are largely established as big league starting pitchers as well, so it’s not as though they have a young, optional arm to send back to Syracuse for a bit.
Peterson can technically still be optioned, but only for another five days. He’s on the cusp of reaching five years of MLB service time, at which point he’d have to consent to being sent down. It’s a moot point, though, given how well he’s pitching. Megill also has an option, but he’s bounced back from a run of shaky starts in early-to-mid May by rattling off 21 1/3 innings with a 3.80 ERA and 28-to-9 K/BB ratio. His season-long numbers are strong, and a depth-focused Mets front office, helmed by president David Stearns, surely doesn’t want to burn Megill’s final option year at a time when he’s pitching well.
One potential wrinkle that could impact the Mets’ rotation depth unfolded as I was writing that last paragraph: Senga exited today’s game against the Nationals with an injury. The right-hander covered first base on a grounder to the right side of the infield, made a leaping catch to corral the throw, and grabbed at his leg after coming down on the bag (video link via SNY). Senga eventually walked off the field under his own power, but he was down on the field for a couple minutes with the Mets’ training staff.
A lot will hinge on whether Senga is forced to skip a start or head to the injured list. There’s no way to know for the time being. He’s surely just in the very initial stages of evaluation. That situation will be worth watching with a close eye, but so long as he avoids a lengthy trip to the IL, that same scenario of six to eight generally established big league starters vying for five rotation spots will loom as a possibility. The Mets could move to a six-man rotation, of course, though Sherman notes that they prefer not to play one reliever short, as they’d be required to do by rolling out a permanent six-man staff.
If the Mets do end up giving serious thought to trading Blackburn, there’ll be no shortage of interested teams. He’s hardly a front-of-the-rotation piece, but the 31-year-old righty carries a 4.39 ERA, 20.1% strikeout rate and 7.5% walk rate over his past 299 1/3 major league innings. He’s pitched in 58 games over that stretch, with all but two of them coming out of the rotation.
Blackburn is in his final season of club control. He’s being paid $4.05MM this year, with about $2.35MM of that sum yet to be paid out. He’s a free agent at the end of the season, so the Mets probably won’t get a particularly large return for him, but they could get a nominal prospect or perhaps a lower-end reliever with more team control. On top of that, trading Blackburn would actually save the Mets around $4.94MM, given that they’re deep in the top bracket of luxury tax penalization and thus subject to a 110% tax on every dollar over the top threshold.
Francisco Lindor Dealing With Fractured Toe, Expects To Avoid Injured List
Francisco Lindor sat out yesterday’s 6-5 loss to the Dodgers. The star shortstop is day-to-day after fracturing his right pinky toe when he was hit by an 89 MPH slider from Tony Gonsolin in the first inning on Wednesday. Lindor finished that game and told reporters that he unsuccessfully lobbied manager Carlos Mendoza to remain in the lineup last night (link via Will Sammon of The Athletic).
Lindor said that he does not expect to go on the injured list. “I think it’s going to be a nagging thing. It’s a bone; it’s a broken bone. I think it takes six weeks for a bone to be fully healed,” he added. Mendoza said the Mets gave no consideration to using Lindor off the bench last night. Luisangel Acuña drew into the lineup at shortstop as the #9 hitter, while Brandon Nimmo moved up to Lindor’s customary spot atop the batting order.
It was just the second time all season that Lindor was out of the lineup. He is annually one of the most durable players in the sport. Lindor has only been on the IL one time since being traded to New York — a five-week absence in 2021 due to an oblique strain. He appeared in all but three of the team’s games between 2022-23. The Mets scaled that back slightly last season, though he still made 152 appearances and came close to 700 plate appearances. Only Matt Olson, Marcus Semien, Pete Alonso and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have played in more games since the start of 2022.
Lindor has led off every game he’s started this season. Starling Marte and Nimmo have hit atop the order in the other two contests. Nimmo would probably get the bulk of the time there if Lindor needs a few more days off. It’s possible that the Mets will build in a few more staggered off days for last year’s MVP runner-up over the next month than they otherwise would in order to help manage the discomfort. Acuña would be the top choice to fill in defensively, with Ronny Mauricio as an alternative if they want a higher offensive ceiling than Acuña brings to the table.
In a more encouraging health development, Sean Manaea is set for his first game action of the season. The veteran lefty will begin a rehab assignment at High-A Brooklyn tonight, writes Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Manaea will throw around 35 pitches in his first outing, Mendoza said on Wednesday. Manaea strained his right oblique early in camp.
Lingering soreness required an April platelet-rich plasma injection. He’ll need multiple rehab starts and is likely looking at a return to MLB action around the end of this month. Rehab assignments for pitchers can last up to 30 days. Manaea is coming off a 3.47 ERA across 181 2/3 innings. He re-signed on a three-year deal with a $75MM guarantee (with over $23MM deferred) in December.
NL East Notes: Montas, Blackburn, Manaea, Nola, Finnegan
Frankie Montas saw his first proper game action of the 2025 season on Saturday, when the right-hander tossed 37 pitches over 1 1/3 innings for high-A Brooklyn in the first game of a minor league rehab assignment. Montas signed a two-year, $34MM free agent deal with the Mets this past winter, but was immediately sidelined at the start of Spring Training by a significant lat strain. Saturday’s game officially started the 30-day clock on Montas’ rehab assignment, and he’ll naturally need to further build up his arm strength over multiple outings before he is ready to be activated from the 60-day injured list.
Paul Blackburn should beat Montas back to the active roster, as MLB.com’s Jeffrey Lutz writes that the plan is for Blackburn to make his seventh and final minor league rehab outing before joining the Mets at some point in June. Blackburn has missed the entire big league season due to right knee inflammation, while Sean Manaea has also yet to pitch due to an oblique strain. Manaea is throwing off a mound, and Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes that Manaea’s projected timeline is about two weeks behind Montas. Despite all of these pitching injuries, even the makeshift version of the Mets’ rotation has posted tremendous results this season, giving the club a potential arms surplus to address if and when everyone is healthy.
More from around the NL East…
- The Phillies are another club relatively deep in starting pitching options, though they may be without Aaron Nola for longer a 15-day minimum stint on the injured list. Manager Rob Thomson told Lochlahn March of the Philadelphia Inquirer and other reporters that Nola’s sprained ankle is still feeling sore, which scrapped plans for Nola to begin throwing off a mound this weekend. Nola’s IL placement began on May 15, and while Thomson didn’t this continued discomfort as any sort of big setback, he hinted that Nola might need to face some live batters (whether in the form of a live batting practice or a minor league rehab start) before being activated.
- Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan is dealing with some shoulder fatigue, though manager Davey Martinez told MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman that tests didn’t reveal any structural problems. Finnegan hasn’t pitched in either of Washington’s last two games, but figures he can avoid the IL with another day or two of rest. Finnegan has a 2.41 ERA over 18 2/3 innings this season, and figures to be a sought-after pitcher at the trade deadline if the Nationals can’t get into contention. The reliever’s secondary numbers (such as a 3.69 SIERA and slightly below-average strikeout and walk rates) are less impressive, but Finnegan has a 48.1% grounder rate and has done a solid job of inducing soft contact.