The Mets will have plenty of questions to answer heading into the 2027 season, assuming there is a season to be played with a lockout very possible this winter.
With playoff baseball already out of the question in Queens following a disappointing 53-69 campaign, New York has begun shifting its focus toward the future. While the roster has plenty of holes to fill, the emergence of Zac Thornton could give the Mets another young arm to build around in the starting rotation.
Thornton — the team’s seventh-best prospect, according to MLB.com — has stepped up since being called up to the majors for a third stint in late June, showing Mets brass that there’s potential for him to help their shaky starting rotation in 2027.
The soft-tossing lefty starter propelled his way through the organization, finding success in 2025 with a 1.98 ERA through 14 starts, putting himself on the map for a potential promotion.
Since arriving with the Mets, the 24-year-old has proven to be a solid back-end starter, holding a 2.78 ERA through eight starts with a 3-3 record, striking out just 29 batters but limiting opposing hitters to a .230 batting average. His latest outing in Atlanta proved his grittiness, going six innings while allowing three runs, escaping trouble multiple times to provide the Mets with much-needed innings.
However, the offense wouldn’t help him, scoring just one run off Tyler Mahle through six innings, resulting in a loss to Thornton’s stat sheet.
“Just knowing that I have to consistently keep throwing strikes,” Thornton said to reporters (h/t SNY) when asked about his outing against the Braves. “Just knowing that I gotta get in there knowing that I gotta work behind on batters.”
Through his eight starts, Thornton has gone at least six innings in five of them, continuing to prove he can limit his pitches and consistently work behind batters. With Thornton emerging as an option for the 2027 rotation, the Mets now have a young trio worth building around, with Nolan McLean and Christian Scott at the top of their group.
Veteran southpaw Sean Manaea has also made a big comeback and emerged as a potential back-end rotation option for next season, holding a 3.08 ERA with 32 strikeouts over his last five starts.
While the Mets have several prospects waiting for their turn in the minors to provide their skills, New York must turn to what the offseason has in store.
Should they go the free agent route, the biggest fish in the pond, Tarik Skubal, could be in their sights. Even after joining the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline, the 29-year-old lefty will be commanding a big-time payday, especially after continuing with his elite production even while returning from a mid-season injury.
Other options on the free-agent market are minimal, with guys like Kevin Gausman and even former Met Freddy Peralta as other options who do not possess the traits to lead a rotation.
All options will be on the table for the Mets, even the chance of acquiring a younger pitcher with control via the trade market, thanks to a deadline that saw New York bring in nine new top-30 prospects.
That is, of course, if there is a 2027 season to be had.
