The New York Mets aren’t wasting time after watching a season of enormous expectations collapse under the weight of inconsistency.
Instead of retreating from their high-spending approach, the Mets have moved aggressively into the winter market, and two names, Joe Ryan and Cody Bellinger, now sit at the center of their plans to reshape a roster still built to contend.
The club entered 2025 with the second-highest payroll in Major League Baseball and finished outside the postseason.
But in a wide-open National League and with owner Steve Cohen signaling once again that financial restraints won’t dictate their path, the Mets are lining up for another bold swing.
Why the Mets are targeting Joe Ryan to stabilize their rotation
Pitching depth, or the lack of it, became a defining flaw of the Mets‘ unraveling last season. By midsummer, injuries and inconsistency left the rotation threadbare, turning a potential playoff run into a scramble for innings.
That’s part of why Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan has emerged as one of New York’s top trade targets.
Ryan, 29, has quietly become one of the American League‘s most durable and analytically valuable pitchers.
His deceptive fastball and strike-throwing command have made him a frontline-caliber arm, and with the Twins signaling a full rebuild, multiple contenders have checked in on his availability. The Mets are among the most serious.
But acquiring Ryan won’t be cheap. Minnesota is expected to demand a package headlined by high-ceiling prospects, and New York would almost certainly need to include 22-year-old right-hander Jonah Tong, whose value has surged after a standout minor-league season.
For the Mets, though, the calculation is simple: add Ryan now, and the rotation immediately becomes deeper, steadier, and more playoff-ready.
Long-term, the Mets believe Ryan could be a candidate for an extension, making him more than just a short-term fix.
Cody Bellinger chase heats up as Mets weigh major lineup reshuffle
On the position-player side, the Mets are preparing for life with, or possibly without, Pete Alonso. Even if they keep their star first baseman, adding a left-handed power bat remains a priority. That makes Cody Bellinger one of the offseason’s most intriguing fits.
Bellinger‘s combination of power, Gold Glove defense, and positional flexibility has drawn interest from nearly every big-market contender. The Mets, Yankees, Phillies, and Dodgers are all believed to be in the mix, setting up the possibility of a true bidding war.
For the Mets, Bellinger offers solutions to multiple needs: he fills the outfield gap left by Brandon Nimmo‘s departure, brings middle-of-the-order production, and adds athleticism to a lineup that too often felt slow and predictable.
And while signing him alongside Alonso would push the team deep into luxury-tax territory, Cohen has shown repeatedly he’s willing to absorb those penalties if the roster improves.
One league executive called the Mets “a serious threat” in the Bellinger sweepstakes, noting that New York “won’t get out-spent if Cohen wants him.”
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