What’s left on the Mets’ wish list ahead of the 2026 MLB season

The holidays are of course a very busy time and you don’t have to be Kris Kringle himself to have a lot to do.

Take David StearnsFor example.

THE Dishes“The baseball boss is reshaping the roster this winter, having already said goodbye to the blue and orange pillars of Pete Alonso And Brandon Nimmo has Edwin Diaz And Jeff McNeil.

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He added Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco, Devin Williams And Luke Weaveramong others — but there is still much to do.

So, David, bundle up and head to the shops. No, wait, we’re the last-minute holiday shoppers. Stearns has to take a few steps, though, even if it’s without the frenzy of Fifth Avenue or an ornate mall.

This is where we come in, as helpful elves. We offer a wish list for the Mets to complete during the remainder of baseball’s hot season. Check it twice, if you like.

An ace

The Mets have a lot of rotation inventory right now, don’t they?

Nolan McLean seems assured of a spot, as he was one of the best pitchers in baseball in his eight starts last season. Clay Holmes was really good in his first season in the rotation, finishing ninth in the NL in ERA, and he’s also a lock. David Peterson had a wobble or two, but was also great for a long time. Can Kodai Senga And Sean Manaea bounce? We’ll see. And then there is Jonah Tong And Brandon Sproattwo very promising prospects.

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But there is no monster at the top of the rotation.

Yes, we know McLean could be. But pitching is such a valuable commodity and usually needed in such large quantities over the course of 162 games that it makes sense for the Mets to pursue a No. 1. That could happen in free agency or in a trade.

They will be involved if Tarik Skubal Or Freddy Peralta become available. Should they explore Framber Valdez Or Ranger Suarezboth free agents? Perhaps their appetite will only be whetted if either signs a short-term deal.

Whatever happens (or doesn’t), it feels like the Mets need an ace as a home run for the holidays. In the same way that a certain generation of kids needed the original Xbox, right?

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A CF fix

There are plenty of ways the Mets can cover center field this year, but it’s tricky because of a highly-rated prospect. Carson Benge. Benge, who turns 23 next month, is the central defender of the future, right? Stearns even said early in the offseason that Benge could push to break spring camp with the Mets in ’26.

Of course, Benge only has 103 plate appearances, as high as Triple-A — he started last season in Brooklyn and worked his way up.

If it’s almost ready, they just need a stopgap and maybe they can start Tyrone Taylor for about a month while Benge gets more seasoning. Or, if they want to make a splash, they could sign Cody Bellingeruse it in the center until Benge is ready, then place Bellinger on the left. Or use Bellinger at first base. The only downside is that Bellinger is likely to enter into an expensive long-term deal. Stearns has scaled back his commitments this winter, at least so far.

But Benge hit .178 with a .583 OPS in Triple-A, so he may need a longer development stage in the minors. In this case, Bellinger fits well at center, perhaps for all of 2026. If not him, Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox, appears to be commercially available.

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Or maybe someone like Harrison Bader would serve well, especially with Bader coming off his best batting season (.796 OPS, 17 home runs). Bader, as Mets fans may remember, is a sensational defensive outfielder. Do some prevention, what do you think?

More relief

I don’t want to bother Grinchy about this, but the Mets bullpen, even with the work already done, needs more.

Williams will close, Weaver will be the better setup guy and the Mets appear to have lefties covered in Brooks Raley And AJ Minter. Perhaps Sproat can turn into a multi-inning relief weapon, the Athletic reported that the Mets are exploring the idea.

The Mets finished 27th in starting innings last season, so their relievers had a lot of work. They have thrown the third most innings of relief in MLB. They were 15th in bullpen ERA – better than both World Series teams, in fact – and had the sixth-highest WAR in the bullpen, according to FanGraphs. Maybe they were riding in Díaz’s footsteps, right? He had a fantastic season.

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Either way, another high-leverage arm, whether through trade or free agency, would do more to comfort the Met fan than fresh eggnog in front of a warm fireplace this time of year.

A second at the beginning?

Polanco is expected to play a lot at first, a role he said he began preparing for last season while with the Mariners.

As a former infielder, he sure has the hands to make the transition, right? Of course, the Mets loaded up a guy with playing experience at the position to help them improve their run prevention. There is a risk.

So maybe they’ll look to add weight at the position.

Paul Goldschmidta free agent with a great glove who hits right-handed is available. Yes, it’s yet another old Yankees move, but maybe it fills that niche need.

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Here’s another idea: Eugenio Suárez on a short-term deal would address their forehand need and give them another option at third base. Since they are moving players to first base this winter, Suarez may be able to get some reps there as well. He played there three times last year, more than Polanco.