NY Mets' backup plan to Bo Bichette, Freddy Peralta would've been a major let down

Joel Sherman’s reporting offered a clearer picture of how many different directions the New York Mets were prepared to take this offseason. Once the Kyle Tucker pursuit fell apart, the options narrowed fast. What mattered wasn’t just who the Mets wanted, but what they were willing to accept if the bigger swings missed.

That is where this offseason starts to feel like The Price Is Right. One door would have led to the car rolling out on stage, lights flashing, crowd roaring. The other would have led to polite applause for a washer-dryer unit, an alternative that would have been a tough sell to this fanbase. Sherman lays out what that fallback was. From there, it is easy to picture fans watching the car drive off and realizing how bad the other option would have looked by comparison.

Mets with Brendan Donovan and Chris Bassitt or Zac Gallen would disappoint

Sherman’s Saturday article probably triggered a deep sigh of relief across the fanbase. Learning that the Mets’ alternative to missing on Bo Bichette and Freddy Peralta involved Brendan Donovan in left field and either Zac Gallen or Chris Bassitt in the rotation made one thing clear. David Stearns did not stumble into his final plan. He avoided a fallback that would have landed with a thud in this market.

Donovan is a good complementary player whose profile works when you are filling out a roster. It does not work as an offensive replacement for Bichette. In 2025, Donovan hit .287 with a .353 on-base percentage and a .422 slugging percentage, with 10 home runs, 50 RBIs, and 64 runs in 118 games. For a Mets team trying to add an impact bat, that kind of move would have left the lineup meaningfully worse than what was available.

Gallen or Bassitt only makes the alternative plan look worse. If the Mets were already stepping down offensively from Bichette to Donovan, the rotation addition had to clearly offset that drop by being better than adding Peralta. Gallen would not have. In 2025, he posted a 4.83 ERA, allowing 176 hits, 66 walks, and a 4.50 FIP.  Losing draft picks and international money for a three-year downward trend in Gallen's play makes no sense.

Mets fans already know the story with Chris Bassitt. He would help. He would compete. He would bring professionalism to the room. What he would not do is solve the problem this rotation faced. Bassitt is not a front-line arm. In a winter where the Amazins needed a difference-maker, pairing Donovan with Bassitt or Gallen would have felt like clapping for the washer-dryer unit while the car rolled away.