The Mets lost Griffin Canning for the season after he ruptured his Achilles, and now they’re looking at ways to shore up their rotation depth.
Sure, Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas are back from their respective issues. But let’s be honest – this rotation has question marks all over it.
David Peterson made the All-Star team this year, and Kodai Senga looks like the ace when he’s healthy. That’s the good news. The concerning part? Clay Holmes has never been a starter long-term, Tylor Megill is on the IL, and Montas has posted a 5.04 ERA through four starts since returning.
When healthy, a rotation of Manaea, Senga, Holmes, Megill and Peterson could work. The problem is staying healthy hasn’t exactly been this group’s strength.
A Veteran Addition Makes Sense
SNY’s Joe DeMayo floated an intriguing trade idea that would bring Zac Gallen from Arizona to Queens:
- Mets receive: Zac Gallen
- Diamondbacks receive: Zach Thornton and Jesus Baez
Gallen’s had better years, no doubt about it. He’s sitting on a 5.40 ERA this season, which isn’t exactly what you’d expect from a guy who was a Cy Young candidate three times between 2020-2024.
But here’s the thing – from 2020 through last season, Gallen posted a 3.34 ERA across 128 starts. That’s not a fluke.
The timing might work in the Mets’ favor too. Gallen’s a pending free agent, and Spotrac projects he’ll get six years and $116 million this winter. Arizona might not be eager to pay that kind of money, especially after a down season.
Sometimes a change of scenery can help a pitcher rediscover what made him effective. For the Mets, even a version of Gallen that’s somewhere between his current struggles and past success would be valuable insurance.
The Price Tag
“I think Gallen will be a popular trade candidate if available, so the price will not be cheap,” DeMayo wrote.
“Baez is an infielder who has played second, third, and shortstop. He is slashing .251/.343/.398 with nine home runs and 41 RBI across 71 games between St. Lucie and Brooklyn. He shows a propensity to hit the ball hard with natural loft in his swing and has a good plan at the plate, where he has a low strikeout rate to go with an above average walk rate. Baez would be an upside buy for Arizona.”
Jesus Baez brings some versatility – he’s played second, third and shortstop in the system. The 20-year-old’s putting up solid numbers between High-A and Double-A, showing good plate discipline with that low strikeout rate.
For Arizona, they’d be betting on Baez’s upside while getting a lottery ticket in Thornton. It’s not a franchise-altering return, but it might be enough for a team that’s looking to reset payroll and retool.
The way I see it, the Mets have the prospect capital to make something like this work. And with their rotation’s health concerns, adding a proven starter – even one having a down year – makes plenty of sense as they try to stay competitive in the NL East.
