While the New York Mets have been linked to a blockbuster trade for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, a team insider believes there is a different ace in that division the team should target.
After completing an epic collapse in September, change is coming in Queens. The coaching staff received the first shake-up as skipper Carlos Mendoza and a select few were the only ones to survive the staff purge. The roster will be next.
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Of the various goals of the offseason, getting a front-line starter will be a top priority. It is also a primary objective among Mets fans. Since the season ended, New York has come up in almost every rumor about a Tarik Skubal trade. They are also seen as contenders for Ranger Suarez, Dylan Cease, and Michael King in MLB free agency.
However, SNY MLB insider Jon Harper believes there is another player the Mets front office should consider, and he plays in the same division as Skubal. He thinks Minnesota Twins ace Joe Ryan should be at the top of the Mets’ winter wishlist. And that he is a more appealing target than his Tigers counterpart, or star pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Freddy Peralta.
“The two years of control make it easier for [President David] Stearns to justify giving up top prospects. More to the point, Ryan is coming off an All-Star season, with a 3.42 ERA despite a late-season slump that may have been the result of a career-high 171.0 innings pitched,” he wrote. “And some scouts think he may not have reached his ceiling yet.”
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Joe Ryan stats: 13-10 record, 3.42 ERA, 1.035 WHIP, 194 SO, 39 BB, 171.0 IP
Why Joe Ryan is a better trade fit for the New York Mets
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Skubal and Peralta are both in the final year of their contracts and will get big raises after 2026. The former could end up getting a record contract for a pitcher that exceeds $400 million. Since Alcantara is viewed as an elite pitcher in the game, the Miami Marlins will reportedly have a high price tag on him. Ryan will come at a lower trade cost and at an affordable arbitration rate the next two seasons.
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“A team like the Mets, who have leaned into the analytics under Stearns, could help him with [pitch shaping and sequencing] and make that fastball even more of a weapon,” a scout told Harper. “He’s got a good feel as it is, but I think if he becomes less predictable, he’ll make fewer mistakes and you’ll see more dominance.”
Harper claims those around the Twins believe Ryan will surprisingly be available this offseason because the team is in a quiet rebuild they don’t want to make obvious publicly.
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