The New York Mets have spent the last month playing a high-stakes game of roster Tetris, and by all accounts, the board looks full. David Stearns didn’t just tinker; he went into a frenzy, trading for Freddy Peralta to lead the staff and snagging Tobias Myers as the Swiss Army knife of the rotation and bullpen, depending on need.
When you look at a depth chart that already boasts Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Sean Manaea, Jonah Tong, Christian Scott, and that fireballing wunderkind Nolan McLean, you’d assume the checkbook is closed. But if there is one thing we’ve learned about this front office, it’s that they have a pathological obsession with “just one more.”
Enter Hector Gomez. The reporter dropped a bomb on X recently that has the fan base doing double-takes: the Mets are still in the hunt for Framber Valdez. Yeah, that Framber Valdez. The two-time All-Star and World Series anchor who spent years making life miserable for the American League is sitting out there in free agency, and apparently, Queens is still calling his agent.
Greed or necessary depth?
It feels like greed at this point. An embarrassment of riches? Sure. But in a division with the Phillies and Braves, maybe you can’t ever have enough guys who know how to win in October.
Valdez is exactly the kind of pitcher who makes modern analytics nerds and old-school scouts actually agree on something. His 3.36 career ERA is a thing of beauty, built on a foundation of sinkers that induce more ground balls than a lawnmower. He finished 2025 with 192 innings pitched and 187 strikeouts, proving he’s still a workhorse even if his peripherals are starting to decline a bit.
We can talk about Senga’s potential if healthy or McLean’s 2.06 ERA cameo last year all we want, but those are projections and hopes. Valdez is a finished product, a guy who eats innings for breakfast and doesn’t care about your exit velocity.
The Mets have competition
The logic here is simple: run prevention and depth. Stearns has been shouting it from the rooftops since he took the job. You don’t trade for Marcus Semien and sign Bo Bichette to stabilize the infield and then leave the rotation to “vibes and health.”
Senga and Manaea are coming off a 2025 season defined by the training table, not the mound. Betting the 2026 season on their durability is a gamble Steve Cohen shouldn’t have to take. Adding a lefty who has logged over 175 innings in four straight seasons isn’t just a luxury; it’s an insurance policy with a 95-mph sinker.
Of course, the Mets aren’t the only ones at the party. The Giants and Orioles are reportedly “intensifying” their pursuit, and frankly, they have more reasons to be desperate. San Francisco is trying to keep pace in a brutal NL West, and Baltimore needs a genuine ace to replace what they lost in recent transactions. Those teams might be willing to overpay on years, something the Mets usually avoid under this regime. But don’t count out the “Stearns Factor.” If he thinks Valdez is the final piece to turn this rotation into a postseason buzzsaw, he’ll find a way to make the numbers work.