The Mets’ 2025 season could serve as a case study in an unreal downfall, and nowhere was that more evident than in their starting rotation. They finished the year with an ERA of 4.09 — 18th in the league — which is pretty brutal for a team that spent money like it was going out of style. And now they head into 2026 with their rotation at a real crossroads.

The Mets are entering the following year with David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Sean Manaea, and Kodai Senga. And Senga had the best ERA of the group at 3.00, which tells you about how shaky things look. And to make matters more complicated, Senga is now listed as the Mets’ top trade chip this offseason.

His rough September suddenly raised questions about his long-term fit, and at 32, age isn’t on his side either.

Given all that, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal believes the Mets are poised to make some significant moves to fix this rotation.

“Well, the one thing David Stearns has not done as head of baseball operations is spend heavily in free agency on starting pitching… [The Mets] are going to sign a big starter this offseason. David Stearns is going to go out of his comfort zone to do that,” Just Mets quoted Rosenthal.

So, when you look at the Mets’ spending history, it’s mostly been the big bats soaking up the headline deals like Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Francisco Lindor. The biggest pitching contract they’ve ever handed out is still Max Scherzer’s $130 million deal from 2022.

So if the Mets are serious about getting back to the playoffs in 2026, they have to fix this rotation. The question is: what’s out there?

At the top of the list is the reigning Cy Young winner. The Tigers are reportedly open to moving Tarik Skubal with his free agency coming up next year. Skubal led the league in ERA (2.21) and piled up 241 SOs in 2025. So, from the Mets’ perspective, he’s the kind of ace they desperately lacked in 2025. They’ve got an owner like Steve Cohen with the financial muscle to convince Skubal to stay long-term.

Then there’s Joe Ryan. In his fifth year with the Twins, he made his first All-Star team and posted a 13–10 record with a 3.42 ERA and 194 SOs over a career-high 171 innings. So, he checks a lot of boxes for what the Mets need — steady, reliable, and trending up.

But the Mets might be looking beyond the US also to amp up their rotation.

The Mets are reportedly looking beyond the US boundary

Apart from the above-discussed rumored names, the Mets are also reportedly seeing Tatsuya Imai!

Well, the Japanese right-hander is about to be posted, giving all 30 MLB teams a shot at signing him. And per SNY’s Andy Martino, the Mets are expected to be in that mix. MLB Trade Rumors projects Imai to land a six-year, $150 million deal, which actually comes in lower than what some of the other top free-agent starters are expected to command.

And his numbers are eye-catching. Last season, Imai put up a 1.92 ERA across 163.2 innings. He was one of just four qualified starters to finish with an ERA under 2.00 and a WHIP under 1.00. Moreover, he struck out 27.8% of the hitters he faced while walking only 7%.

So, for the Mets, he could be the answer to the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto and potentially a very clean replacement for Kodai Senga if they move him. The only catch? Landing Imai would require David Stearns to step out of his usual comfort zone and make a bold, aggressive play.