Ace vs. Depth Will Define Mets Tricky Pitching Plans

The New York Mets had some inadvertent pitching success in the latter months of last season, and it’s put them in an interesting position. The Mets had several young pitchers step up to fill rotation slots, and they’re part of the answer going forward, but there are still a couple of puzzle pieces regarding the makeup of the rotation. 

That’s where the “ace vs. depth" argument comes into play, and it’s a tough one for the Mets. They botched both possibilities pretty badly this year, so it’s tough to buy into the argument that they can get it right, but let’s go there and explore anyway. 

The ace argument is embodied by the upcoming free agency of left-handed starter Tarik Skubal. He’s already been linked to the Mets as a possible signing, and rumors pertaining to that aren’t going to slow down any time soon. 

If you’re Skubal, you have to look at the way the Mets messed up former Milwaukee starter and wonder if New York is a good choice. The Mets are constantly shuffling coaches, and they were forced to shuffle Peralta out of town in a trade to the Tampa Bay Rays that now has the Rays in the World Series, with Peralta as ALCS MVP after he pitched the Rays to a pair of wins against the Cleveland Guardians. 

If you’re the Mets, you have to wonder about Skubal as well. He’s had two elbow procedure, so you automatically wonder if the Mets are skeptical about a signing like this, even though it would certainly please owner Steve Cohen, who loves to spend big and get his man in free agency. 

But the Mets also botched the depth possibility by deciding to rely on their own failed veteran retreads. That resulted in an epic collapse in the second half of 2025, then an early failure this season. 

There are always plenty of depth starters available, but landing the right one is often a total crapshoot. This year’s version includes Nick Martinez as the versatile innings-eater, Chris Bassitt as the workhorse who might be available in a trade and Zach Littell as the under-the-radar option. All three could work, and all three could fail, but there’s no way to predict the outcome here. 

The cliche about never having enough starting pitching applies here, but the qualifier is that the word “good” should be inserted appropriately. The Met have to get their own house in order to show that they can get this one right, and there’s no real reason to believe in that right now.