Just as the Mets wrapped up their mediocre season, Steve Cohen wasted no time in dismantling the coaching staff. While that’s already in effect, the central issue remains unresolved. As soon as we enter free agency, David Stearns will have to take steps to strengthen their starting rotation.

It was already brought up first by analysts that, in a push for a new ace-level starter, the club might target Pittsburgh Pirates’ Paul Skenes in a potential trade if he becomes available. Besides Skenes, Metsies have time and again taken to social media to urge the club to pursue Tarik Skubal. But realistically, how probable are these trades?

Host Ryan Finkelstein of Locked on Mets recently explored the potential trade packages for Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal. “If you’re going to get the best pitcher on the planet, you have to give your best pitching prospect.” And then, Finkelstein revealed the cost.

“So, if I see a mock trade that has the Mets landing Tarik Skubal without giving up Nolan McLean, I don’t know if it’s very accurate. Now, maybe theoretically, if he really was on the market and the Tigers love them some Jonah Tong, sure.”

The idea of landing a pitcher as good as Skubal without giving up their top pitching prospect, Nolan McLean, ceratinly is too good to be true! However, according to Finkelstein, if the Mets really want to get into the door to get Skubal, “Nolan McLean is their entry fee.”

That’s because when Jonah Tong comes up to the big leagues, whether rushed or not, and if in his first five starts, he pitches to an ERA over 7, the Tigers fans aren’t going to take that as a headlining piece for Skubal.

Now, what about Paul Skenes?

Finkelstein noted that he’s not going to be a free agent until 2030. That’s four years of team control, and right now he’s only 23 years old. “I still think you got to give up your best pitching prospect and your best hitting prospect for a guy like Paul Skenes,” Finkelstein noted.

It’s still uncertain if the Pirates are even ready to send him off yet. But what we know for sure is that the Mets will be on the market for elite arms this offseason, both through free agency and via trade.

Now that we’ve had a look at the best external arms for David Stearns and Co., let’s discuss the situation of the Mets’ internal options.

Mets’ internal starting pitching options

First, we have David Peterson, who struggled noticeably at the end of 2025. That made his extension with the club very unlikely. Still, if the Mets don’t want to spend big on a new starter, they could give him a rotation spot.

If the Mets try to trade for a top pitcher, Peterson might be included in the package, as well. Overall, he has about a 60% chance of being in the rotation.

Then we’ve got Kodai Senga, who still has two years and $30 million left on his contract. His deal with the Mets is fairly reasonable for a starting pitcher today. But given that he was signed by the previous GM, the front office might look to trade him for a player who better fits their roster.

Now, coming to Sean Manaea, his contract is expensive. That means moving him would be tough unless the Mets pay part of it. As it seems right now, he’ll compete for a rotation spot in spring training, or he could also pitch in relief if required.

We also have Frankie Montas and Tylor Megill. Both of them will miss all of 2026 because of Tommy John surgery. While Montas will enter free agency after this season, Megill still has one year of team control. The Mets could re-sign Megill to a minor league deal just so he can rehab without taking up a 40-man roster spot.

With the postseason flying through, we won’t have to wait long to clear all the doubts.