Once viewed as a strength of the team, the New York Mets may need to consider adding starting pitching depth.
Frankie Montas owns a 6.14 ERA in three starts since his return from the injured list, and the National League East club is without Griffin Canning, Sean Manaea, and Kodai Senga, at least for now.
Manaea and Senga are set to return this weekend when the Mets travel West for a three-game set with the Kansas City Royals. However, with World Series aspirations, the Mets should be in the market for another arm or two.
Identifying the ‘Best Match’ for the Mets
The majority of Major League Baseball’s organizations are probably rooting for the Arizona Diamondbacks to falter in the next few weeks.
There are several players on the Diamondbacks’ roster with either expiring contracts or team-friendly deals who could fulfill a need for several clubs. The New York Mets are one of those clubs.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan labeled Arizona’s starting pitcher Zac Gallen as the “best match” for the Mets as the trade deadline nears.
“Gallen has looked more like his old self in recent starts, and if his home run rate stabilizes — typically one per nine, it has jumped to 1.6 — alongside a perilously low strand rate normalizing, he can shake off the 5.15 ERA and be a real difference-maker for the Mets before hitting free agency after the season,” Passan wrote.
“Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns doesn’t, as a general rule, spend big on pitching. In this case, though, an investment in Gallen makes too much sense for the Mets not to consider.”
In 2025, Gallen owns a 5.15 ERA in 19 starts, but is still producing strikeouts (8.8 K/9), near his career average of 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
Gallen was traded once before, moving from the Miami Marlins to the Diamondbacks in 2019 for Jazz Chisholm Jr. He’s earning an annual base salary of $13.5 million this season.
How Bad Do the Mets Need Rotation Help?
The recent injury histories of Senga and Manaea are not ideal, as they are top-of-the-rotation starters for the New York Mets. New York missed their presence over the last month, as the ERA of the Mets’ rotation skyrocketed without them.
“The Mets started 45-24 on the strength of their starting pitching. With a 2.79 ERA that was nearly a quarter-run better than the second-best rotation, they cut the figure of a juggernaut,” wrote Passan about the Mets’ early success this season on the mound.
“Since June 13, their starters’ 5.61 ERA is worse than every team in baseball aside from Washington. And if your starters are getting compared to those of the Nationals, something went haywire.”
Down the Stretch
Coming into Thursday, the New York Mets are neck and neck with the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East, and a pitching reinforcement like Gallen could pay dividends.
Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Francisco Lindor lead the offense, but a baseball team can only go as far as the pitching staff takes it.
Adding Gallen to the postseason rotation could help the Mets reach their first World Series since 2015.
Mets-Diamondbacks Trade Prediction Sends 2.54 ERA All-Star to New York