Yankees should show interest in this Mets pitcher this offseason

In 2023, Japanese standout Kodai Senga arrived in Queens, raising expectations for a New York Mets team that had racked up 101 wins on a subpar pitching performance (4.03 team ERA in 2022). In his rookie year, Senga performed with a 2.98 ERA with 202 strikeouts in 166.1 innings. His ‘ghost fork’ splitter proved to be one of the most devastating weapons in the game. Now Senga is proving to be a problem for the Mets.

Senga’s career ERA stands at 3.00, a number any team would happily pay for as a starter. However, durability issues have landed Senga in offseason trade rumors. In 2024, injuries limited him to just one game, pitching 5.1 innings. In 2025, Senga started in ace form before suffering a hamstring injury while catching a high throw while covering first base on June 12. Senga was scheduled to return on July 11, but his speed dropped and his performance suffered greatly.

Prior to the All-Star break, Senga pitched to a spectacular ERA of 1.39. After the break, Senga posted a 6.56 ERA, increasing his mark to 3.02 for the season. Senga was sent down to the minors to work on his stuff after a bad outing on August 31, but never returned.

With the Mets looking to bolster their flailing pitching staff, it might not be too unrealistic to assume Senga has thrown his final pitch in blue and orange. But should they decide to acquire him, there is one team in New York City that should make an offer.

What if the Yankees made Kodai Senga a reliever?

The New York Yankees are not looking for a starting pitcher. However, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt will all miss Opening Day as they recover from surgery. This leaves the starting rotation with Max Fried, Luis Gil, Will Warren and Cam Schlittler, along with top prospects Carlos Lagrange and Elmer-Rodriguez Cruz. If the Yankees were to add Senga, he could fill in for the injured Yankee trio before being converted to a reliever.

A move to the bullpen could help keep Senga despite his durability issues. Senga has never thrown more than 166.1 innings in a season, but when healthy he is virtually unhittable. He can be a hybrid starter/reliever if needed.

The Yankees had significant bullpen issues this past year, posting a 4.37 ERA in the regular season and a 6.15 ERA in the postseason. The Bombers also have no shortage of holes to fill, with Jonathan Loaisiga, Luke Weaver, Paul Blackburn, Devin Williams and Ryan Yarbrough entering free agency. This experiment would be similar to the move the Los Angeles Dodgers made with Roki Sasaki, who found success as a closer.

If the Mets are willing to acquire Senga after another lost year, any team willing to make an offer could acquire a real diamond in the rough. For the Yankees, adding Senga’s splitter to their shallow bullpen could be the move of the offseason.