“Really tough decisions there,” Stearns said. “Not straightforward. Had a lot of internal discussion and debate. Ultimately, the returns we were able to get we thought made sense, were in the best interest of the organization, recognizing that at this time of year, you’re often able to get really good talent back for relief pitching. We understand that we’re going to have to go out and acquire relievers in the offseason in different ways to get our bullpen to where we expect it to be in 2027.”
The starting rotation is also full of holes, though the ones that once filled such places were not necessarily serviceable. A couple of weeks before Holmes was sent to Chicago, David Peterson was sent to the NL Central club. Freddy Peralta’s nightmare tenure in Queens also came to an end on Sunday with a trade to the Rays.
That leaves the Mets with Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, and potentially Sean Manaea, with No. 2 prospect Jonah Tong on the cusp of being a full-time member of the rotation.
Other teams, like the Toronto Blue Jays, managed to pick up starting pitching despite subtracting from the rotation. They traded Kevin Gausman, but then brought in Jose Soriano and Spencer Arrighetti.
“We explored a number of those types of players,” Stearns said. “Ultimately, just couldn’t line up on acquisition cost, but it is something that we explored.”
