What the latest Mets rumors about a possible trade for a starting pitcher could mean

Some surprising New York Mets rumors dropped post-Sean Manaea signing. Courtesy of Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Mets are allegedly still active in the trade market for a starting pitcher. Feinsand doesn’t share much insight into whether it’s a top-level talent or someone for depth purposes. Either way, it’s certainly somewhat surprising considering the depth the roster already has.

What do the latest Mets rumors mean for the starting pitcher depth chart?

Behind the projected starting five, the Mets do have optional choices of Joey Lucchesi and Tylor Megill eager to prove they deserve a big league roster spot. Then there’s the much younger Jose Butto and the currently injured David Peterson. Having witnessed them take the mound several times, we can conclude that perhaps David Stearns isn’t impressed and would be interested in improving upon this group.

Then there’s the far bolder interpretation. What if it’s a true MLB starter that’ll come at a heftier price? The Mets could go with a six-man rotation with Adrian Houser as the swingman who gets a little extra time in the bullpen during periods where there’s an off-day mixed in. The Mets could also look to send Jose Quintana one place and bring in a better arm to replace him. There were rumors last offseason of the Mets looking to move Carlos Carrasco after picking up his option. Could they do it with Quintana now?

More than likely, it’s the simpler option of looking at starting pitching depth rather than a truly impactful arm. Or it’s all just a smokescreen to make teams believe they have intentions they don’t truly have. If the 2023-2024 offseason has taught us anything, it’s that nobody really seems to know anything 100%. The Mets started the offseason tight-lipped, but in recent weeks they appear to have at least had interest in nearly everyone.

If the Mets do have another trade in them, we can only hope it’s executed as brilliantly as the one with the Milwaukee Brewers that brought them Houser plus Tyrone Taylor for a mid-level prospect recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Some other team’s Houser is probably the aisle the Mets are shopping in.