The news is notable considering that Senga, 33 in January, a well-known trade candidate who the Mets have indicated they are open to offers and have attracted interest from rival organizations. Sammon notes that some teams don’t rate this year’s crop of free-agent starters particularly highly, and that lukewarm interest in these weapons has led some teams to view Senga as a buy-low candidate worth considering. The appeal of the right-hander is somewhat obvious; he has a career 3.00 ERA and 3.82 FIP over three seasons in these majors, and last season he offered the Mets a 3.02 ERA over 22 starts.
That’s already solid production for a starter, and the fact that Senga will make just $28 million over the next two years (with an affordable club option for the 2028 season) makes Senga all the more attractive, considering last year’s free agent market saw a one-year roll of the dice on veterans with health or age concerns like Alex Cobb And Charlie Morton cost $15 million. There are few opportunities to add a potential rotation talent on an affordable deal, and that will certainly catch the attention of many prospects.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t complicating factors at play. After all, the Mets themselves need top-of-the-rotation impact in their rotation. They would not be considering trading Senga at this time if there was no cause for concern. Talented and productive as the right-hander clearly is, Senga has been unreliable during his time at Queens. He made just 52 starts at the big league level in three seasons after missing almost the entire 2024 season due to shoulder and calf problems. In 2025, he battled a hamstring injury that caused him to miss a month of playing time, and he posted a 5.90 ERA in nine starts after returning to the mound before agreeing to be optioned to Triple-A for the remainder of the 2025 season in early September.
That Senga was removed from the rotation entirely as the Mets fought for their playoff lives indicates a lack of confidence in right-hand Mets personnel, and president of baseball operations David Stearns himself called it “foolish” to count on Senga making a full slate of starts heading into 2025. An argument can be made that Senga’s issues with injuries and inconsistencies are likely to worsen rather than improve as he enters his mid-30s, and a Mets rotation deep into has viable options but lacks reliable impact talent, might prefer to use that spot in the rotation for a more reliable free agent or trade acquisition.
The Mets have already shown this offseason that they aren’t afraid to shake up the team’s status quo, cutting longtime Met Brandon Nimmo in a deal that brought back Marcus Semien. Other Mets stalwarts like Jeff McNeil are known to be as well also on the trading blockand after the disappointing 2025 season, it appears the Mets clubhouse will look very different next year. Whether or not Senga falls under that may depend on the details of his no-trade list. If the Mets are truly motivated to move on from Senga, they could certainly do so with one of the 20 teams in the league that Senga can’t block a deal against.
However, things may not be that simple as Senga’s upside and value in the market would certainly make them hesitant to sign him for a disappointing return. The team on Senga’s no-trade list is currently unknown, so it’s entirely possible that the clubs most aggressively interested in his services are also the ones he can block a deal for. While Sunday’s news of Senga’s preference to remain in New York certainly shouldn’t cause anyone to rule out the possibility of him getting a deal, there’s no denying that it poses at least a potential obstacle for the Mets to find a deal they’re happy with.
If Senga stays in Queens, that shouldn’t stop the club from bringing in another top player. Top prospect Nolan McLean, right-hander Clay Holmes, left-hander Sean Manaea and left-hander David Peterson make up the Mets’ rotation alongside Senga as things stand. McLean still has options left, but believes this is a lock for the rotation given his 2025 results and future pedigree.
Manaea, Peterson and Holmes can’t all be optioned to the minors, but have experience pitching out of the bullpen, which could create some flexibility if needed. Trading any of these three could also be a plausible solution, although it seems likely that none will yield as strong a return, as Senga and Manaea in particular could be difficult to move given his high salary and difficult 2025 campaign.
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