Mets need bullpen to step up with rotation providing historically poor length

One of the goals that the New York Mets had heading into the MLB trade deadline was to acquire some starting pitching.

Alas, that was the only weakness that wasn’t addressed by president of baseball operations David Stearns, with the outfield and bullpen both receiving the kind of upgrades the team was hoping for.

It certainly wasn’t from a lack of trying, as the Mets did reportedly make a run at Merrill Kelly of the Arizona Diamondbacks. But, they were beaten out by the Texas Rangers, who surrendered three top 13 prospects for a rental starting pitcher.

That seems like an incredibly steep price, especially considering how much talent New York brought in without dipping into their stash of top prospects. The asking price was high for starting pitching, meaning they will have to figure something out internally.

The team has dealt with a multitude of injuries and ineffectiveness from their rotation, with 14 different players and counting taking the mound for a start this far in 2025. That number could certainly grow with rumors swirling that one of their top prospects, such as Jonah Tong, Nolan McLean or Brandon Sproat, could be called up down the stretch.

Production from the starting pitchers certainly hasn’t been bad, with their 3.61 collective ERA entering play on Aug. 10 being the fifth best in the MLB. That speaks volumes to how good they have been at navigating trouble, since Mets starters have issued the third most walks (237) and have the 20th ranked WHIP (1.31) in baseball.

However, the biggest issue that has developed for the rotation is their historic lack of ability to pitch deep into games.

Mets need more from rotation to take pressure off bullpen