Reese Kaplan -- Can Any Met Be An Effective Starting Pitcher?

Pitch Profiler                    @pitchprofiler

Since his call-up, Nolan McLean might just be the hottest pitcher in baseball.

Time to shift gears from focusing on how to improve the balsa wood bats used by the offense instead to consider the guys on the mound who don’t throw the way Brandon Sproat did on Saturday afternoon.  Come the end of this 2025 season the club needs to consider who will be in the future starting rotation.

Right now you know that they have contractual obligations to Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga who have both been a big part of the problem.  David Peterson is apparently healthy so he’s likely a part of the mix, too.  Then it gets a little harder to predict.

Nolan McLean has certainly shown enough in his rookie turn against major league hitters that he has written his name in ink for one of the remaining slots.  Jonah Tong has not shown the dominance here that he did in the minors, so it’s likely he gets a full season at AAA to work on his location.  Brandon Sproat is a huge variable here.  When he pitches as he did his past weekend you’d have to think he’s got a shot to become a starter, but the first half of his AAA season looked mediocre at best.  Then came more than 10 games in a row where he was dominant and we need to see which Sproat will appear during the 2026 season.

Gone the way of the medical recovery room are Tylor Megill, Frankie Montas and various others.  Returning are Christian Scott and Max Kranick (though he’s more likely a candidate for the pen than the rotation). 

It would appear that while there is some depth, it’s not extensive.  Consequently the Mets may find themselves seeking another starting pitcher who provides insurance against the poor 2025 seasons from Manaea and Senga. 

A good hedge your bets candidate for this role could be Japanese free agent starting pitcher Tatsuya Imai.  Currently pitching for the Seibu Lions, he’s 27 years old and has thrown over 150 games as a starting pitcher in his young career.  Prior to 2025 he was a very good if not sensational starter but he’s picked the exact right time to have a breakout season.  This year he has thrown nearly 155 innings to the tune of a 1.50 ERA and a WHIP of just 0.849.  Throwing a mix of the usual pitches with greatest success from his slider, he throws consistently between 95 and 99 MPH which is at the very upper echelon in velocity in NPB. 

At this young age he’s going to be highly coveted by many teams and given his eye popping season he’s going to be paid very well.  The question becomes do you try to average out a moderate pay rate for a large number of years or do you pony up a bigger number for a shorter term commitment?  Jeff Passan suggests a deal for 7-10 years will cost $150 to $200 million.  When you consider what the club is paying for the likes of Montas that’s pretty much a bargain price.