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By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
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While there is clearly more than one culprit for the New York Mets' collapse this season, president of baseball operations David Stearns has to be kicking himself for how he handled the starting rotation.
New York's strategy of signing boom-or-bust veterans to short-term contracts did not pay off this year the same way it did a season ago. Injuries and fatigue wore the entire pitching staff down; New York's 3.56 team ERA before the All-Star break and 4.74 after it tells a comprehensive story.
It seems abundantly clear that Stearns will need to make some major adjustments to the rotation before next season begins to right the ship in Queens. The main questions are who Stearns will pursue, and whether the additions will come via trade or free agency.
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On Sunday, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly named one top trade candidate who would represent a serious high-risk, high-reward play: Miami Marlins ace and former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara.
"Alcantara looked much more like himself in the second half of the season," wrote Kelly. "After posting a 7.22 ERA in his first 18 starts back from Tommy John surgery, Alcantara finished his 2024 campaign with a 3.33 ERA over his final 13 starts.
"The Marlins should keep Alcantara and try to contend, but history tells us that they're more likely to trade the two-time All-Star. Considering he's owed $17.3 million in 2025, and has an affordable $21 million club option for 2026, Alcantara would make quite a bit of sense for the Mets -- and just about every other-pitching needy team -- this winter."
Baseball fans have all seen how effective Alcantara can be at his peak -- that 2.28 ERA in 228 2/3 innings in 2022 remains an outlier in the recent history of starting pitcher seasons based on both dominance and bulk. Yet it surely would not go over well if the Mets' primary acquisition flopped after putting up a 5.36 ERA the season before he was brought on board.
So, assuming the Marlins indeed shop Alcantara this winter, will Stearns roll the dice on trading top prospects for such a high-variance star?
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