New York Mets rookie right-hander Nolan McLean has been named the team’s single most untouchable trade asset — and notably, that distinction does not belong to Juan Soto. Bleacher Report MLB analyst Joel Reuter published a league-wide breakdown Monday identifying each club’s most immovable piece, and for the New York Mets, McLean was Reuter’s clear answer.
Soto is a franchise cornerstone already signed long term and would generally be thought of as “untouchable,” but unless the Mets’ current six-of-seven winning streak becomes a real turnaround and not just a statistical blip for a team that otherwise appears destined to miss the playoffs for a second year in a row, Soto with his overwhelming 15-year, $765 million contract could increasingly become difficult to justify from a roster-construction standpoint.
McLean, on the other hand, checks every box for “untouchability.” With 17 big-league starts dating to his Aug. 16, 2025 debut, the 24-year-old has gone 7-3 with a 2.51 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 121 strikeouts across 100.1 innings. He anchored Team USA’s rotation in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and with ace Freddy Peralta approaching free agency after this season, the Mets are counting on McLean as the staff’s long-term centerpiece. He remains under team control through 2031.
“He is the ace-in-waiting for the Mets,” Reuter wrote for Bleacher Report.
McLean’s Meteoric Mets Climb
The Mets drafted McLean in the third round in 2023 out of Oklahoma State, where he had been a genuine two-way player, a power-hitting infielder and hard-throwing pitcher who was actually drafted one year earlier by the Baltimore Orioles before a failed physical ended his chances. He spent 2024 between Class A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton, posting a 3.78 ERA across 25 starts, then reached Triple-A Syracuse in 2025 before a late-August call-up. In his debut season, McLean went 5-1 with a 2.06 ERA over 48 innings. That’s an ERA+ of 196, according to an SNY report. His 28 strikeouts through his first four starts ranked second in Mets history behind only Nolan Ryan, according to stats uncovered by ESPN. He opened 2026 at Triple-A, was recalled and has posted a 2.92 ERA through nine starts.
McLean’s competitive engine became clear to Mets pitching coach Justin Willard the moment he dialed McLean during an offseason round of introductory calls. One conversation stood out.
“After that first phone call I said, ‘OK, this guy’s a little different,'” Willard told SNY. “You could sense it just talking to him, how much he wants to compete, how he’s always thinking about what he can do to be a better version of himself.”
McLean’s Arsenal and Makeup Set Him Apart
Veteran teammate Clay Holmes believes McLean’s years as a quarterback at Oklahoma State shaped a presence that reads differently from the typical young pitcher.
“He’s just a guy who is very sure of who he is,” Holmes told SNY. “That’s who he was when he was called up last year. It’s cool to see, a guy who comes up with that type of presence and has success right away.”
On the mound, McLean backs up the glowing assessments with a six-pitch arsenal. His fastball sits 97-98 mph, he throws a curveball breaking 26 inches, and a sweeper spanning the full 17-inch plate. ESPN‘s Jeff Passan reported that McLean grades as average or better on FanGraphs’ Stuff+ for every offering, a distinction he shares with only Tarik Skubal and Max Fried.
Whatever any opposing front office brings to the table this summer, the answer from Queens will likely not change. McLean is untouchable.
Mets Have One ‘Untouchable’ Trade Deadline Piece: It’s Not Juan Soto