Mar 15, 2024; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean participates in the Spring Breakout game against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

What not acquiring a starting pitcher means for the Mets, per insider

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI
By Logan VanDine | Last updated Aug 1, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The MLB trade deadline is officially in the books, and the New York Mets strung together several key acquisitions.

From adding three highly touted bullpen arms, with the capper being trading for center fielder Cedric Mullins from the Baltimore Orioles, New York seems poised to capture its division crown in 10 years and go on another playoff run.

But while these additions certainly make the Mets a better team than they were from a week ago, they did not trade for any starting pitchers. Adding a starter did not seem like a vital need for the Amazins' in comparison to the two other areas they addressed; even so, could not opting to go that route lead to the team bringing up some of their young pitching prospects?

SNY's baseball insider Andy Martino reported on Thursday that with the Amazins' not adding a starter during the deadline, he's expecting the ballclub to possibly call up one of their pitching prospects, with Nolan McLean being a name to look out for.

With the Mets not trading for a SP, expect the likes of Nolan McLean to be in line for opportunities this year
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) July 31, 2025

McLean, who is currently ranked as the Mets' No. 3 prospect according to MLB.com, has had a great first season pitching at the Triple-A level. In 14 games (11 starts) for the Syracuse Mets, the right-hander has posted a 5-4 record with a 3.01 ERA, 83 strikeouts, and a 1.12 WHIP across 77.2 innings.

Nolan McLean with another strong outing in AAA.

6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 K for the @MLBPipeline No. 64 prospect. pic.twitter.com/ToeIM6g7ee
— Mets Player Development (@MetsPlayerDev) July 30, 2025

Even though the Mets have a healthy rotation, they have not seen any of their starters not named David Peterson go past six innings in quite a while. While Sean Manaea (oblique) and Kodai Senga (hamstring) are still ramping back up after returning from their respective injuries, it's still not a sustainable trend for a team with World Series aspirations.

With the Mets heading into August holding onto a slim half-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies and with the rotation struggling to go deep in games as of late, McLean's possible arrival to the major leagues is something to keep an eye on.

This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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