The Mets’ rotation — and the roster in general — has so far been unsuccessful so far in 2026. Mets starting pitchers ranked 19th in the majors with a 4.24 ERA and tied for the game’s sixth-highest walk rate at 10%. In particular, the struggles that arise Kodai Senga again David Peterson they have sent them back. New York turned Christian Scott in his big league start since 2024 Tommy John surgery yesterday against the Twins, but he walked 10 batters he faced and struck out six before being pulled in the second inning.
Will Samson and Tim Britton of The Athletic report that at least for now, the plan is for Scott to start again next week. The Mets have Peterson, Sean Manaea again Tobias Myers they are all coming out of the bullpen right now and will work to stay extended, given the uncertainty in the rotation. If they end up needing a new arm — Peterson and Myers both threw 40-plus innings in yesterday’s long win — Scott could be optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Any of those veteran options in the bullpen could step in to start in Scott’s place.
Scott and the young ace Nolan McLean they are the only two members of the Mets’ rotation to be selected. The latter, of course, is going nowhere. In the bullpen, only Myers and Huascar Brazoban can be selected. The lack of flexibility, coupled with the Mets’ injured and ineffective roster, has Britton and Sammon wondering whether president of baseball operations David Stearns might eventually explore a pitcher trade to help bolster the offense.
Trades of any real value are rare this early in the season, but there are a handful of notable April or May deals in recent history. The Brewers took over Quinn Priester from the Red Sox last April, for example. A year ago, the Marlins sailed Luis Arraez at the Padres in early May. As the Athletic duo points out, when Stearns ran things in Milwaukee, he got it Willy Adams from the Rays via trade in May.
The Mets won’t get anything to do with Manaea or Senga with their contracts underwater. They may try to trade another player with a similarly unpopular contract, but that player won’t help change the system. The best version of the Mets would be with McLean again Freddy Peralta over the rotation, and the Mets parted with several top prospects to acquire Peralta this winter, so he’s not an early candidate to move. Clay Holmes‘ the chance to leave at the end of the season lowers his value.
Speaking of speculation, Peterson feels like the most logical candidate to leave in that situation. He is a free agent at the end of the season, making $8MM, and is currently working in the ‘pen. The 30-year-old lefty had a rough start before being moved into an extended relief role, but he started 30 games last year and finished the season with a 4.22 ERA, 20.7% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate in 168 2/3 innings. He has allowed one run in his last two starts – a total of seven innings. He won’t be a controllable, established hitter, but the Mets could try to trade him for a veteran bat with similar service time.
There is no indication right now that the Mets want to ship a pitcher and/or bring in another bat in a trade, to be clear, but it should be kept in mind as the season progresses. That’s especially true of the star shortstop Francisco Lindor hitting the injured list because of the difficulty they have had this week.
Instead of Lindor, it will just be remembered Ronny Mauricio getting more reps at shortstop, writes MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. The Mets can slide Bo Bichette has moved to shortstop on occasion, but DiComo notes that the club has been happy with Bichette’s move to third base so far. Bichette was charged with throwing errors in his first 210 frames at the hot corner but generally covered anything thrown his way. Metrics like Defensive Runs Saved (0) and Outs Above Average (1) feel more than adequate during his new tenure.
Shortstop is Mauricio’s regular diamond. The 25-year-old, ranked as a top 100 player before injury (namely a torn ACL) set him back, has logged nearly 3900 innings at the position. He’s healthy now and was playing all over the diamond at Syracuse before being recalled, though he spent more time (seven games) at shortstop than at any other position. Even though Lindor was not injured, the pressure of missing Mauricio was growing. He has bludgeoned Triple-A so far in 2026, hitting .293/.349/.638 (150 wRC+) with six homers and five stolen bases in 63 plate appearances.
It is unclear how long Mauricio’s route will take. The Mets have not given a timetable for Lindor’s return, with manager Carlos Mendoza telling reporters that Lindor “will be a little bit down here.” He’s looking at more than the minimum, but the Mets haven’t made it clear whether Lindor is looking at a three-to-four week absence or something more appropriately measured in months. Regardless, the injury gives Mauricio a rare opportunity to play everyday with the Mets – something that has often eluded him in recent years as he sought to prove himself in the majors.
