It's been a disastrous offseason for the New York Mets so far, with the team looking to get better after missing the playoffs in 2025 but instead seeing multiple key names walk out the door in free agency. The most cataclysmic series of events occurred a few weeks ago, when star first baseman Pete Alonso departed to join the Baltimore Orioles, while reliever Edwin Diaz took his talents to the City of Angels to join the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
One area where the Mets could definitely use an upgrade is in the starting pitching department, and thankfully for them, several big names are still available on that free agency market.
Recently, Buster Olney of ESPN floated two potential candidates who could help shore up the Mets' depth in that department.
“(Ranger) Suarez and (Framber) Valdez, for sure. With the Mets still needing help in their rotation, it seems inevitable they'll land one of these two — and Suarez makes a lot of sense, given his calm mound presence and experience pitching in a big market for all of those years in Philadelphia,” he reported on ESPN.com.
Mets fans are certainly familiar with Suarez after facing off against him for so many years as divsional rivals in the NL East, including beating Suarez and the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2024 playoffs.
Meanwhile, Valdez also isn't a bad option, having pitched in countless big games during his time with the Houston Astros and generally coming up big in those spots.
Whatever direction the Mets choose to go in, it's clear that the team is in need of some kind of positive move this offseason in order to shake off some of their recent departures, particularly Alonso and Diaz.
In any case, spring training for the Mets in preparation for the 2026 MLB season is set to get underway in February.
