Reese Kaplan -- Which Pitchers Do You Keep for 2025?

Now in part two it’s time to look a bit at how to enhance the increasingly thin pitching staff from whom injuries force overuse of others and the end result is exhaustion.  Think about it.  When was the last time the Mets had back-to-back decent pitching performances from the starters? 

I don’t need to reiterate the injury list.  It would seem as if any component of the pitcher’s body when used too often or too intensely will lead to time away from the mound ranging from a single start or relief appearance. 

OK, so what does the current pitching situation look like?  Well...

David Peterson is theoretically the current number one starter.  He’s been very good in one of the past three games.  Jeremy Hefner, Carlos Mendoza and their mutual boss are all hoping it was just a rough patch and not either ineffectiveness nor an untold injury.

Behind him you have free agent acquisition Clay Holmes.  His output has been mostly very good, though not at All Star level.  He’s certainly appearing to be one of David Stearns’ credit-worthy moves by recognizing the potential for converting him to become a part of the starting rotation.

Now it starts getting a bit murkier.  Frankie Montas has made three starts thus far.  One was good, one was bad and one was about what you’d expect from a pitcher with a career ERA over 4.00.  If that’s what he’s going to deliver on average then it takes some points off that Clay Holmes front office move. 

After that it’s anyone’s guess.

The bullpen is running on fumes.  After a highly capable All Star in Edwin Diaz it’s mostly overuse.  Reed Garrett and Huascar Brazoban have pitched far more innings than anyone would have anticipated and the bad times were for awhile matching the good ones.  Ryne Staned had a similar performance quandary but seems like he might have turned the corner.  After that it’s the DFA and AAAA collection with pitcher after pitcher hitting the IL.

So what does the 2025 Mets team need in terms of pitching?  What about in 2026 and beyond?

Well, you do have the returning starting pitchers Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga.  They alone fulfill the five man rotation for the balance of the year.  Tylor Megill is theoretically returning at some point as well.  Most of the rest of the injured pitchers are either relievers or spot starters. 

The problem here is that the depth in the current Mets organization is beyond thin.  We’ve seen Blade Tidwell, Brandon Waddell and others appear on the starting pitching mound but no one has made an impact.  Consequently, who is or should be on the trading block?  In no particular order...

• Dom Hamel
• Jonathan Santucci
• Brandon Sproat
• Blade Tidwell
• Brandon Waddell
• Jack Wenninger

The only names that likely shouldn’t be on the trading block are Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong.  Now David Stearns has been adamant about not wanting to burn an option on a spot start here or there, yet when you lose more than a half dozen pitchers to injury when does it become more than a single game? 

The ancillary question is what do you get for 2026?  Well, the good news is that Frankie Montas, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga and David Peterson are all under contract for at least the 2026 season.  Tylor Megill can be a Met until the 2027 season ends, too (if you want him).  Some others who have taken the mound for this season like Paul Blackburn are not. 

It would seem that the goal for this season should be rentals.  In 2026 Jonah Tong and Nolan McLean should be in AAA providing some emergency backup.  However, as we saw already this season you can’t bank on perpetual health. 

Rental pitchers provide the depth needed to make the 2025 post season.  They also not only provide starting rotation depth, but they also allow some of the fringier pitchers who become healthy again like Megill enter the bullpen as a multi inning reliever.  The price for rentals is not that high.  Yes, it’s possible to lose a prospect who develops big time, but the goal right now is October baseball.  You don’t likely get there on the efforts of the next turning-30 AAAA pitcher.

Who would you keep?  Who would you shop?