Despite a rough finish, Senga's trade value remains surprisingly high. Will the Mets cash in on their ace to reshape the roster?
President of baseball operations for the New York Mets, David Stearns, has his hands full this offseason. Coming off the back of a 2025 campaign that saw the Mets collapse in dramatic fashion, there are several areas of the Mets roster that need addressing.
First and foremost, the Mets have to navigate two of their stars, first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Diaz, entering free agency. Bringing both back would cost hundreds of millions, something that New York may not be able to pay while still fixing the other glaring holes on the roster.
The Mets' starting rotation was the main factor in missing out on the postseason; still, Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller predicts starting pitcher Kodai Senga to be the most likely trade candidate for the club this offseason.
Senga himself wasn’t blameless last year. In his final eight starts of the year, Senga’s performance saw a steep decline, posting a 6.56 ERA in his final eight games as the Mets were trying to cling to their postseason hopes. In a desperate move, the Mets sent Senga down to Triple-A at the beginning of September, hoping he’d find his rhythm and return to the big league roster before season’s end to bolster the squad’s playoff chances. He failed to return for the Mets.
On the year as a whole, Senga recorded an ERA of 3.02 due to a dominant start, but he failed to perform when New York needed it most. With The Athletic’s Will Sammon reporting trade interest in Senga at the GM meetings last week, the Mets could be tempted to go in a different direction and cash in on the Japanese right-hander.
Senga has two years remaining on his Mets contract, earning $15 million annually. The 32-year-old also has a team option in his contract for the 2028 season. Assuming that Senga had a weird end to 2025 and that he can return to his pre-All-Star game form, teams across the league may be willing to pay a premium for him.
In such a trade, the Mets could choose to prioritize salary relief, perhaps making it more plausible to bring back Alonso and/or Diaz, or they could trade for multiple players with a combined salary of Senga’s $15 million. The Senga situation is an intriguing one because of his late-season collapse despite being one of the team’s most reliable arms previously. Teams are already interested in a potential deal, but it remains to be seen if Stearns and the Mets are ready to throw in the towel on Senga.