The New York Mets have had a dreadful season and are eliminated from postseason contention with just a week left on the schedule. The front office did not put together a respectable roster in the offseason and left the Mets scrounging to fill holes.
Even the trade for Freddy Peralta didn’t quite pan out, but the Mets will likely be active this winter before the impending lockout as they try to strengthen their roster and get back into contention in 2027.
That could come via trade or free agency. Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report pitched a blockbuster trade idea that has the Mets acquiring former Cy Young Paul Skenes from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The trade idea would also land them Bryan Reynolds and cost them Carson Benge and prospects Jefferson Rojas and Jonah Tong.
“Steve Cohen is backing his president of baseball operations publicly, but the reality of 2026 is that Stearns built a Franken-roster that has achieved all-time embarrassment, even by Mets standards,” Rymer wrote.
“The Mets have only two high-value trade chips. Benge is one. Nolan McLean is the other, and trading him for Skenes would be robbing Peter to pay Paul. It would be better to aim for a Skenes-McLean duo, with Reynolds taking Benge’s spot.”
New York Mets’ Paul Skenes Trade Pitch Would Cost High-Value Prospects
The Mets have been aggressive before in offseasons when making trades and signing free agents. The only question is whether or not this would be enough for the Pirates to accept the deal.
Skenes would give the Mets an elite starting rotation and somebody to pair with Nolan McLean at the top. Those are two starters that the Mets would likely be willing to take their chances with in a postseason series.
The Mets will almost certainly have their sights set on trying to return to the playoffs after missing the mark two years in a row. They made the National League Championship Series in 2024, but haven’t had much success since then.
But this would give Skenes an opportunity to pitch in October, something he hasn’t had the chance to do with the Pirates. That could change one day, but the Mets would seem to have the brighter future as of now, so the idea would be for them to pull out all the stops to get there after a few down seasons.
It would also be a way for David Stearns to get back in the good graces of Mets fans.
Would Pittsburgh Pirates Accept Paul Skenes Deal?
The Pirates would have to blown away in order to even consider trading somebody like Skenes, but if they can get a good package in return that helps them now and in the future, perhaps they would be willing to at least listen to what the Mets have to offer and potentially take them up on it.
It will be interesting to see what both teams are thinking, but the Pirates do view Skenes as a building block, so it will be hard to convince them to move him.
Mets’ Paul Skenes Trade Idea Would Cost Two Top Prospects