The Mets look like prime candidates to trade for an ace in 2025, especially with their current rotation raising serious questions about their World Series aspirations.
Fresh off an NLCS appearance and after handing Juan Soto a record-breaking contract, Steve Cohen’s club has championship expectations. But their starting pitching situation is precarious at best. Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas started the season on the IL, while Kodai Senga faces pitch count restrictions. The rotation is so thin that converted reliever Clay Holmes got the Opening Day nod, followed by the still-developing Tylor Megill in game two.
David Stearns, the team’s president of baseball operations, has shown reluctance to splurge on veteran starters. But he’d almost certainly make an exception for a division rival’s ace who comes with a surprisingly team-friendly contract.
Just Baseball’s Caleb Moody identified the Mets as a top potential landing spot for Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara, who just returned from Tommy John surgery. The 2022 NL Cy Young winner could be exactly what New York needs.
“With the way Mets’ owner Steve Cohen has shown his willingness to go the extra mile to make this team the best possible product it can be, we still have to consider them a strong suitor,” Moody wrote.
“From a Mets perspective, Alcantara makes all the sense in the world as well. They have top-end caliber arms in Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga, along with arms that could pleasantly surprise, like Clay Holmes. However, what they lack is an out-and-out ace like Alcantara.”
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Alcantara, 29, was absolutely dominant during his Cy Young campaign, posting a 2.28 ERA across 228 1/3 innings in 2022. What makes him particularly valuable is his durability – even in his “down year” of 2023, he led the league with three complete games.
The price tag would be steep. Despite Alcantara’s team-friendly $56 million contract extension, the Mets would need to surrender significant prospects to convince Miami to trade within the division. That said, with Alcantara under control through 2026 and a $21 million club option for 2027, the Mets could secure a true ace for two-and-a-half seasons.
For a team with championship ambitions but rotation questions, that’s the kind of move that could put them over the top.
