The New York Mets rotation has taken some big hits before the season has even begun. Frankie Montas has a lat strain that will keep him out for a while, and Sean Manaea has an oblique injury that will cause him to miss the start of the regular season.
Mets could pursue Sandy Alcantara in the trade market
Even when they are healthy, their rotation is still missing a frontline ace starting pitcher to complete the group. The market is thin with Opening Day less than two weeks away, but a viable option could become available to them.
Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara is expected to be the next big pitching piece to be dealt. The Marlins are one of the worst teams in baseball while Alcantara is coming off of Tommy John Surgery that took away his entire 2024 season. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer listed the Mets as a potential landing spot should the Marlins trade him.
“Even after losing Frankie Montas to a lat strain and Sean Manaea to an oblique strain, the Mets were reportedly uninterested in adding pitching. Well, they should be,” Rymer wrote.
The Mets might need to give up their top prospects to land Alcantara
In Rymer’s proposed mock trade for Alcantara, he had the Mets giving up RHP Brandon Sproat and SS Jett Williams, the Mets’ No. 1 and No. 2 prospects, respectively. That can sound like a lot to give up for a starting pitcher, but Rymer insisted that it would be necessary to complete such a trade.
“If the Mets were to get serious about realizing their World Series dreams, this is the kind of sacrifice they’d have to be ready to make for Alcantara. And, to be sure, it’s one that president of baseball operations David Stearns would probably rather not make,” Rymer added.
The Mets are not particularly known for giving pitchers long-term contracts, as Stearns is pretty reluctant to do so. Therefore, trading away their top two prospects for a pitcher that is not guaranteed to stay could turn away New York from making a move. Furthermore, the Marlins are going to want a lot from the Mets considering that the two teams are in the same division.
Alcantara could make a huge difference in the Mets’ rotation
However, Alcantara could be an arm that is worth making such a massive commitment towards. He is only 29-years-old and less than three years removed from winning the Cy Young Award. In 2022, he boasted a 2.28 ERA with a 14-9 record, 207 strikeouts, and a league-leading six complete games all in 228.2 innings pitched, which led all of MLB.
The right-hander features a strong arsenal headlined by a devastating sinker and a solid curveball. He would immediately become the Mets’ top starting pitcher and make their rotation look much more complete with Kodai Senga as the No. 2.
The Mets have made a flurry of moves in the past couple of months, and perhaps they have one more splash move in them before the start of the season.