NY Mets rumors: 3 reasons Joe Ryan is probably the most likely SP trade acquisition

Today’s sizzling New York Mets rumors bring us to Joe Ryan. The Minnesota Twins pitcher is thought of as one of the top starters on the trade block. According to the NY Post’s Jon Heyman, the beginning stages of a potential trade have Ryan going to the Mets with the Twins interested in Jonah Tong as a part of the package.

Preliminary as it may be, Ryan is a name we should hear about plenty as the Mets continue to search for an upper echelon starter to fulfill their rotation needs. Behind Tairk Skubal and Freddy Peralta in terms of last season’s performance and maybe by a lightyear, he may actually make the most sense for the Mets.

Joe Ryan has a few advantages for the Mets they may not get from Tarik Skubal and/or Freddy Peralta

1) Coming over from another league

American League teams would probably be the better match for the Mets via trade. The teams aren’t competing in the playoffs until the final round. They’ll play each other only once while teams in the same league will battle once at home and another time on the road at minimum. The Twins’ presence in the AL is less harmful for both teams. It’s precisely one of the reasons why the Milwaukee Brewers could have some hesitation about trading Peralta to the Mets. The two teams faced each other in the 2024 postseason. No matter the cost, there’s a risk of seeing Peralta do away with them in the playoffs or maybe even prevent them from getting in there altogether if it comes down to the Mets vs. Brewers for a Wild Card spot.

2) Joe Ryan is on a team that already sold a lot of pieces

The Twins have already begun to dismantle the roster. The Brewers and Detroit Tigers are coming off of successful seasons where they made the playoffs. It’s far less likely Skubal or Peralta are traded. Ryan, on the other hand, fits in comfortably as the next Twins player they let go. It’s a rare position for Minnesota to have such a good pitcher other teams with stronger playoff chances would want. Unless the Twins are looking to actually add this offseason, they should capitalize on what feels like an offseason with many names available but no one truly unique in free agency. Unless the Skubal or Peralta are actually moved, Ryan could be the best. He’s someone the Mets should put a heavy focus on.

3) An extra year of control vs. Tarik Skubal and Freddy Peralta

Finally, the Mets get an extra year of control out of Ryan. Skubal and Peralta are free agents after the 2026 season. Ryan is under team control through 2027. That single extra year is huge in terms of what the Mets would be willing to give up. Overpaying for a rental could turn out to be a mammoth mistake for the Mets. With Ryan, they get at least two tries. We know the Mets seem to prefer players on contracts that won’t last more than three years. A sweet spot of two years where he’ll make arbitration-eligible money is helpful for the purse strings. The danger with acquiring Skubal or Peralta is they need to get signed immediately. With Ryan, he’s here for an extra year.