The New York Mets will have to go back to the drawing board after a handful of moves from last offseason didn’t work out. New York is heading toward missing the playoffs for the second straight season, and it needs improvements.
Stearns will likely explore ways to improve the rotation to complement the young starting pitcher they have. Nolan McLean, Zac Thornton, and Jonah Tong are under 25, and someone like Tarik Skubal might make sense.
However, if the Mets don’t want to commit to the money and contract needed to sign Skubal, they could explore the trade market. In a Sept. 11 article, Jake Elman of FanSided believes that New York is one of the options for veteran and former Mets starter Jacob deGrom.
“With how much goodwill Steve Cohen and David Stearns have lost over the last two years, you’d think they’d be open to reuniting with deGrom,” Elman wrote. “Whether he’d be interested in returning to New York, though, is the true question. He’s easily among the greatest pitchers in franchise history, and his 43.9 bWAR ranks fourth behind only Tom Seaver, David Wright, and Dwight Gooden.
“Interestingly, the Mets haven’t hinted that they intend to intentionally slash costs this coming offseason. We still believe that a Francisco Lindor trade is worth exploring for all parties, so could the two former teammates swap homes in what would effectively be a salary dump?”
Former Mets SP Jacob deGrom Still Has Baseball Left in Him
Last offseason, the Mets traded for starting pitcher Freddy Peralta as president of baseball operations David Stearns likely saw the former Milwaukee Brewers starter as one who could help anchor the rotation.
Nonetheless, that didn’t work, with Peralta having a record of 5-9 with an ERA of 4.99 and 113 strikeouts in 22 appearances during his time in New York, per StatMuse. After a disappointing stint, the Mets traded Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for three minor league prospects before the trade deadline.
Despite being 38, deGrom is showing this season that he has plenty of baseball left in the tank, with a 10-9 record, a 3.80 ERA, and 186 strikeouts in 28 appearances, per StatMuse.
The veteran starter has two more years left on his contract with the Texas Rangers, but the final year is a club option, per Spotrac. Moreover, deGrom will make $37 million next season, so would the Mets prefer that over committing to Skubal?
Nonetheless, deGrom has a full no-trade clause in his contract, so any potential Mets reunion would need the veteran’s approval.
Blue Jays Also Make Sense for Jacob deGrom
As for other potential destinations that could give deGrom a contending team, Elman notes that the Toronto Blue Jays make sense for the Rangers starter.
“The Blue Jays are only one game back of Cleveland in the Wild Card race, which would go a long way toward completely rewriting the narratives about a horrifically disappointing 2026 campaign,” Elman added in his article. “We expect Toronto to be aggressive this offseason, and taking a chance on deGrom to help navigate a loaded AL East is definitely worth considering.
“So long as deGrom can hold off Father Time for another year, he and Dylan Cease would make for an imposing 1-2 duo atop the rotation. Besides, acquiring the five-time All-Star means keeping him from the Red Sox and Yankees, which might be the most significant victory.”
Mets, Blue Jays Get Clear Trade Message for Rangers’ Jacob deGrom