The New York Mets will make significant roster changes in the coming months. Despite high expectations and one of the highest payrolls in baseball, the club struggled in 2026. As a result, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns is under pressure to turn things around.
Bringing in new quality players this winter would obviously help Stearns. However, the Mets also need to offload their biggest underachievers. SNY’s Danny Abriano has now named multiple players New York will likely attempt to trade in the offseason. Headlining this particular list is Kodai Senga. The typical starter was relegated to the bullpen in 2026 due to ongoing struggles.
“2027 feels like Senga’s last season in Queens. Unless he’s traded before the year starts,” claims Abriano. “For the Mets, it wouldn’t make much sense to shift Senga back to the rotation given how he performed in that role last season. That means that Senga’s future could be in a bullpen role in New York (if he buys in and can handle the workload) or in the rotation for another team.”
The New York Mets previously signed the star pitcher to a five-year, $75 million contract in 2022. He has one more year remaining on the $15 million annual deal. The deal with the Japanese star was initially considered a success. In fact, he posted a combined 3.00 ERA over his first 52 total starts with New York. Nevertheless, the former ace had a 9.66 ERA in eight starts in 2026.
Kodai Senga Wants to be a Starter for the New York Mets
As Abriano alluded to, Senga was better as a relief pitcher for the New York Mets this past season. His numbers out of the bullpen, however, were not exactly lights out. The veteran posted a 4.85 ERA in just under 30 total innings in the more diminished role. Interestingly, his best numbers came in the ninth inning of games. In fact, he recorded a 2.20 ERA and .186 opposing batting average during this frame.
Nevertheless, Stearns recently hinted that Senga wants to be used as a starter going forward. “We know where Kodai’s passion is. He’s been very honest with that,” the New York Mets exec said in September, as reported by SNY. “We also understand that we need a level of production, in whatever role he’s going to be in, to contribute to a winning team. And so, we’ll ultimately make that role determination as we get into next year.”
New York Looks to Revamp Rotation This Winter
Because Senga performed better as a reliever, Stearns and the New York Mets may look to keep him there in 2027. This would certainly be the case if the club cannot find a trade partner this winter. Even if another team is interested in the veteran pitcher, the Mets may very well have to take on another bad contract to facilitate a deal.
Senga aside, New York has plenty of question marks with their rotation. Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, and Zac Thornton are perhaps the only certain starters for the club heading towards 2027. As a result, Stearns and Co. will be looking at free agency and potential trades to improve their rotation in the offseason.
Mets Expected to Explore Trade Involving $75 Million Pitcher