BY MIKE RIFKIN
Saturday the Mets honored the 40 year anniversary of their 1986 World Series Championship. For the franchise it was their second and last championship. The 2026 Mets had championship aspirations and well have failed miserably. But watching the ceremony got me thinking about how close or far away this team could be to being a contender. And with the trade deadline looming on Monday, the Mets can make a 2027 statement before the Winter.
There were a lot of takeaways from the ceremony about the 86 team, about being together and how close knit they were. And while parts of the team were homegrown (Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, etc…) they also made two massive trades : Keith Hernandez (who should be in the Hall of fame) and Gary Carter (who should have his jersey retired). The Mets that year had a sensational pitching staff led by Doc Gooden. Gooden, Ron Darling, Sid Fernandez, and Bobby Ojeda had a combined 3.16 ERA. Throughout the history of the Mets franchise they’ve always done a good job in developing Starting pitching.
Fast forward to 2026 ( and into 27) I think the Mets have three fifths of a rotation (yes they’ll need more for depth purposes) but right now Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and Zac Thornton could all be in the rotation. The Mets added Freddy Peralta to be the ace of the staff, and it’s failed and he is certain to be dealt by Monday, so will Clay Holmes, who was the best starter for the team until his injury.
Yes, the Mets are sellers, but they should also consider a long term buyer. According to Jeff Passan of ESPN reported teams are calling the Mariners about starting pitcher George Kirby, meanwhile others are reporting Hunter Greene of the Reds is also available. These are two guys David Stearns should absolutely be all over. Greene is under contract through 2030 at a very reasonable salary, now I am not sure why the Reds would dump Greene a former second overall pick, but he’s still just 27 years old. For the Mariners they have a lot of pitching and Kirby is 28 years old and the Mariners need offense.
Now there are reports the only untouchables for the Mets are Juan Soto, Carson Benge, Francisco Lindor, AJ Ewing, Nolan McLean, and Christian Scott. I think the Mets catchers should be off the table too, but that’s just me. David Stearns wants run prevention and the Mets stink at preventing runs, so why not add a starting pitcher who has over eight K/9( Kirby :8.6, Greene 11.2). The Mets have six players they won’t move, Stearns should call on both. As mentioned earlier Greene is signed through 2030 and Kirby is still arbitration eligible.
There are people who would like for the Mets to sign Tarik Skubal and while that’d be nice it’s definitely not a guaranteed thing. Yes, the Peralta deal didn’t work out, but you call on one of these guys, who fits the Mets young staff, the Mets could have one of the best rotations in Baseball in 2027.
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