NY Mets rookie has already given the front office a gift they shouldn’t refuse

We knew Nolan McLean would shine for the New York Mets this year in some shape or form. There were signs Christian Scott would be brilliant as well. Carson Benge? He was hyped. A.J. Ewing looked like he was potentially something special. All four have impressed this year, but the gift for the Mets they can’t refuse comes from Zac Thornton.

Known but not necessarily on anyone’s radar as a significant contributor in 2026, Thornton’s rise offers the Mets an “out” when it comes to taking a random flier on a free agent starting pitcher. 

At 3-3 with a 2.78 ERA, Thornton hasn’t been ruthless with only a 5.8 K/9 rate but he remains a brilliant strike-thrower with only 2.6 BB/9 thus far. He has found ways to get outs with a balanced approach. While not anointed with a roster spot for next year quite yet, his presence gives the organization the blueprint as to what to do about their rotation. He’s a more than acceptable contender for a fifth starter role in starting five that should include one headlining act along with Thornton or someone else winning the final spot.

Zac Thornton has removed the need for the Mets to make significant offseason gambles with the starting rotation

A clear internal favorite at the moment to snag a rotation spot, a conceivable spring training battle (or maybe summer training if the CBA negotiations drag) between Thornton, Jonah Tong, and Jack Wenninger is already in the cards. We shouldn’t discount the Mets finding some experienced arm from either overseas or freed from his contract to add more depth. Preferably someone with minor league options, which might be asking for too much, we’ve seen David Stearns operate with a strong desire for quantity without enough attention to the quality.

Tarik Skubal is by far the biggest free agent starting pitcher and if he ended up with the Mets, that’s probably it for the spending. The team has almost an entire bullpen to restructure. No matter how well some of the arms trying out in the final weeks perform, we shouldn’t expect more than two to actually make the Opening Day roster sans injury. 

McLean’s strong pre-rookie season in 2025 was strong enough, and rightfully so, to alert the Mets there was one less starting pitcher they needed to add this past offseason. It was never a question of whether or not he’d make the team. The only one was whether he or Freddy Peralta would start the first game of the season.

So far, Thornton is in his own category in comparison to the other Mets rookie starters who’ve debuted in recent years. He’s getting positive results. The only doubts are about whether he could get much better. At this stage, there hasn’t been enough to suggest he should toil around in the minors unless he gives the Mets a reason.

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