Dating back to Opening Day 2024, the Mets have used 16 different starting pitchers. In today’s MLB, that’s not really an alarming number. It’s right around the median. Clubs like the Dodgers and Brewers lead the pack with 24 starters apiece, while teams with steadier rotations like the Mariners and Twins clock in at only 11 starters each since last year. The Yankees, even after a couple significant injuries in the rotation, have used only 10 — the fewest in baseball.
The Mets’ usage of 16 starters in and of itself isn’t remarkable, but it’s probably fair to say it also wasn’t exactly the plan. Two years ago — an eternity in the world of Major League Baseball rosters — they were still dreaming big on future Hall of Famers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander forming an elite trio with then-newcomer Kodai Senga. When that didn’t go according to plan, the Mets blew things up at the 2023 trade deadline and treated 2024 as something of a bridge year.
The subsequent offseason was punctuated by short-term acquisitions to patch over the rotation. In came Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Adrian Houser — the first two via free agency and the latter via trade. With Senga and Jose Quintana still on the roster from the year prior, the starting five looked largely set, at least on paper.
As is often the case with pitching staffs, injuries derailed those plans. Senga made one start in 2024. Houser made six before being banished to the bullpen. The Mets picked up Paul Blackburn at last year’s deadline, and he made all of five starts before incurring a season-ending injury. Top prospect Christian Scott debuted and looked like he could help to smooth things over … until he required season-ending Tommy John surgery after just nine starts.
There have been similar hiccups in 2025. Offseason signing Frankie Montas has yet to pitch due to a lat strain. Manaea, who opted out of his previous contract but returned on a heftier three-year deal worth $75MM, has been out all season due to an oblique strain. Scott is still on the mend from that UCL replacement. Blackburn hasn’t pitched this season due to a separate knee injury.
But for the past calendar year, the Mets have quietly relied on a homegrown arm to stabilize the staff — and he’s stepped up and thrived as one of the most productive starting pitchers in the sport.
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