Ranking the top 10 NY Mets trade priorities this offseason

After a disastrous 2025 campaign that saw the team fail to meet expectations, the New York Mets enter the 2025-26 offseason with clear and pressing needs. The possible departure of franchise icon Pete Alonso to free agency will leave a gaping hole at first base. The starting rotation, decimated by injuries and underperformance, is in desperate need of reliable, efficient inning-eaters. Furthermore, the offensive production from center field was lackluster, and top prospects like Drew Benge and Jett Williams may not be ready for Opening Day.

This list, extract from MLB Trade Rumors top 40 trade candidates this offseason, is not just about acquiring the best player, but about finding the right player at the right cost. President of baseball operations David Stearns must weigh the astronomical prospect cost for an ace like Tarik Skubal against the more cost-effective, high-upside plays for pitchers like Sandy Alcantara or Freddy Peralta.

Ranking the top 10 Mets trade priorities this offseason

10) Alek Thomas

The Mets need a stable solution in center field, and Thomas represents a buy-low opportunity. The Arizona Diamondbacks have a surplus of young outfielders and are looking to shed payroll, making Thomas expendable. He is arbitration-eligible and would not cost a top-tier prospect, allowing the Mets to save their best assets for a bigger pitching acquisition.

9) Willson Contreras

The St. Louis Cardinals are signaling a rebuild, and Contreras is a prime candidate to be moved. While the Mets have Francisco Alvarez, Contreras could be a creative solution to the team's power vacuum. He could share DH and potentially get reps at first base. Acquiring Contreras, who has a reasonable club option for 2027, would add a veteran, middle-of-the-order bat without paying the premium for a full-time first baseman.

8) Brandon Lowe

Lowe is a classic Tampa Bay Rays trade chip: a productive player about to get more expensive via an $11.5 million club option. After hitting 31 home runs in 2025, his power is undeniable. While his defensive grades at second base "cratered," he has experience at first base, making him a perfect plug-and-play solution to the Alonso-sized hole.

7) Triston Casas

If the Mets want a long-term, controllable solution at first base, Casas is the target. His future in Boston is "up in the air" after a 2025 season derailed by a torn patellar tendon. With the Red Sox reportedly looking to shed salary and potentially pursue Alonso themselves, Casas is the odd man out.

6) Edward Cabrera

For years, Cabrera has teased the league with elite "stuff." In 2025, he finally put it together, posting a 3.53 ERA over 137.2 innings. The Marlins right-hander is controllable through 2028 and has a projected salary of just $3.7 million. This makes him an incredibly valuable asset, but he would cost less than the established aces on this list.

5) Luis Castillo

While he's 32 and has seen a slight decline in velocity, "La Piedra" is still a bona fide workhorse, which the Mets desperately need. The Seattle Mariners are looking for salary relief to fill holes in their lineup, and Castillo is owed $24.15 million in each of the next two seasons. He has a no-trade clause and would provide the stable, 180-plus innings of top-half-of-the-rotation production the Mets lack.

4) Joe Ryan

At a projected $5.8 million salary and controllable through 2027, Ryan is arguably the single best value on the trade market. He was brilliant in 2025, with a 3.42 ERA and elite strikeout-to-walk numbers over 171 innings. The Minnesota Twins are in a full "youth movement" and payroll-slashing mode, making him available. The prospect cost will be high, but he is a cost-controlled ace.

3) Tarik Skubal

This is the blockbuster, all-in move. Skubal is the reigning (and likely repeat) AL Cy Young winner and the best pitcher in baseball. The Tigers are shopping him as he heads into his final year of arbitration, and the Mets are the "odds-on favorites" to land him. The cost would be monumental, likely starting with Jett Williams and another top-100 prospect, and would be followed by a $400 million-plus extension. He's the best pitcher on the list, but the cost to the farm system is almost prohibitively high.

2) Freddy Peralta

Peralta presents the perfect balance of elite production and stunning cost-effectiveness. He emerged as a true ace for the Brewers in 2025, posting a 2.70 ERA over 176.2 innings. He is owed just $8 million on a 2026 club option. Trading stars on team-friendly deals is "standard operating procedure" for Milwaukee. He would cost less in prospects than Skubal or Ryan but offers the same top-of-the-rotation impact, making him an ideal target for Stearns.

1) Sandy Alcantara

This is the ultimate cost-benefit play. The 2022 Cy Young winner was limited to just 19 starts in 2025 due to a lat strain, and the Marlins would be "selling low." This is the Mets' opportunity. Instead of emptying the farm for Skubal, they can acquire a pitcher with a proven ace ceiling for a fraction of the prospect cost. Alcantara is a known inning-eater who is signed to a reasonable $22.5 million annually for 2026-27. It's a savvy, high-upside gamble that fills the Mets' biggest need without mortgaging the future.