5 left-handed starting pitchers the NY Mets should already start scouting for a trade

Let’s face it. David Peterson isn’t inspiring confidence in anyone. Sean Manaea probably won’t get much action in the rotation until someone gets hurt. The New York Mets have some younger kids fighting for a few starts later this year. Nobody is left-handed.

The need for a lefty starter in the rotation is completely overblown, unneeded for success, and a matter of preference. Based on early results, it’s looking like the Mets won’t have a left-handed stopper in the rotation unless they make a trade.

It’s way too early to talk about trade deadline deals and yet here we are on April 9th, looking at what the Mets need and some potential targets who could be potentially available in the coming months.

Five left-handed starting pitchers to keep an eye on as summer trade targets for the Mets

1) Robbie Ray

In the final year of his deal, getting paid $25 million this year, Robbie Ray seems bound to get traded. He’ll pitch the regular season at 34. He has started off the year at 2-1 with just over a strikeout per inning. He pitched okay against the Mets for his first win of the year and might just be one of the more coveted arms at this year’s trade deadline. He’s coming off of a good 2025 season where he made 32 starts and had a 3.65 ERA. If the San Francisco Giants are as bad as they looked, he’s bound to get shopped.

Availability: 7 out of 10 because who actually thinks the Giants won’t be a mess?

2) Kyle Freeland

Kyle Freeland has started off the year 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA for the Colorado Rockies. Only one of those starts was in Denver, a 6.1 inning performance versus the Houston Astros with the lone run allowed coming on a solo home run. He’d be a scary addition for anyone as you never can tell what the results could be. He has a $16 million salary this year with a $17 million vesting option for next year if he reaches 170 innings. Freeland should definitely hit the trade block and whoever lands him will wonder if there’s more to his 4.51 ERA lifetime than the 4.56 FIP that suggests he really is just mediocre. For what it's worth, he feels exactly like the type of starter David Stearns would acquire.

Availability: 9 out of 10 only because the Rockies seem to always make bad decisions, including not trading players.

3) Kris Bubic

Kris Bubic was a Mets offseason trade target. One reason they didn’t acquire him might’ve been he isn’t all that much better than Peterson, at least not entering this season. He has a 4.09 ERA in two starts to begin the year. At 28-years-old with a little over $6 million owed to him, he’ll be financially affordable for anyone. Availability is the question. The Kansas City Royals have potential to compete this year in a division that no one ever seems to want to win.

Availability: 5 out of 10 because the Royals may be just good enough to compete or maybe. However, they could always end up as one of those teams that sells him for a bat.

4) Trevor Rogers

In 2024, the Mets were interested in trading for Trevor Rogers from the Miami Marlins. He ended up going to the Baltimore Orioles. The results have been unique. He had a 7.11 ERA in 2024 and was demoted by Baltimore. Last year, in 18 starts, Rogers had a 1.81 ERA. Through three starts this year, the ERA is up to only 1.89. He’s a free agent this offseason and someone who’ll join the trade block if the Orioles fall out of the playoff race.

Availability: 2 out of 10 since the Orioles can’t possibly be as disastrous this year as they were last season.

5) Tarik Skubal

You can’t talk about trading for a lefty upgrade in your rotation without mentioning Tarik Skubal. Why bother going over numbers? If he had a 6.00 ERA at the trade deadline, you trade for him anyway at a reduced cost and see if you can fix him. A 2.55 ERA and yet a 1-2 record to begin the year, he’d be everyone’s dream trade candidate. Skubal becomes a free agent after this season and would come at a high cost even as a two-month rental. The Mets would have to believe they can stomp out the competition to go near the cost of what it’d take to acquire him.

Availability: 1 out of 10 because the Tigers have been finding ways to stay relevant in the playoff picture even when they try not to.