Steve Cohen bought Bo Bichette’s prime years for $126 million, but the Mets’ winter isn’t finished—David Stearns still must import a proven starter to keep the lineup’s star power from being wasted on a patchwork rotation.
Bo Bichette stepped off the jet at Teterboro, scanned the Manhattan skyline and felt the difference immediately. “As a road player you try to ignore all of it,” he said. “Now I soaked it in—this is massive.”
The same could be said of the Mets’ payroll. In a five-day blitz, president of baseball operations David Stearns and owner Steve Cohen added:
- Bichette on a three-year, $126 million contract that lets him opt out twice, and
- Luis Robert Jr. via trade from the White Sox to lock down center field.
Those moves drop a 181-hit, 14.5 percent strikeout machine into the No. 2 hole between Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, giving New York arguably the most terrifying top-three in the sport. But the celebration at Citi Field came with a caveat even Stearns couldn’t dodge: someone still has to throw the first pitch on Opening Day.
The rotation riddle
Asked point-blank if another arm is coming, Stearns told SNY, “My preference is to add a starting pitcher. I’ve been open about that the entire offseason. I can’t say with certainty we’ll do it, but we remain engaged on multiple fronts.” Translation: Cohen’s wallet is still open, yet the top-tier market is shrinking.
Projected 2026 Mets rotation as of today:
- Kodai Senga – 166 IP in 2024, scapula strain ended his ’25 in July
- Clay Holmes – career reliever, 8 GS in five years
- David Peterson – 5.09 ERA over last 250 MLB innings
- Nolan McLean – 23 years old, 24 IP above High-A
- Jonah Tong – 22 years old, hasn’t faced Triple-A hitters
That group would battle the Braves and Phillies with a $300 million infield behind them. It’s not hard to picture a 9-7 slugfest every night in Queens.
Who’s still out there?
Free-agent shelves are thinning, but three realistic tiers remain:
- Short-term legends – Justin Verlander (43), Max Scherzer (41) and old friend Chris Bassitt (36) would take one-year, $25-35 million deals and flip the narrative overnight.
- Mid-tier stability – Lucas Giolito, Nick Martinez or Zack Littell on two- or three-year pacts slot as reliable 180-IP buffers.
- Trade targets – Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta (two years of control, projected $11 M) and Washington’s MacKenzie Gore (pre-arb) are both available, though Stearns would have to part with prospects instead of pure cash.
Cohen has never shied away from baseball’s luxury-tax cliff. Payroll already projects above $490 million, and a one-year $35 million pillow contract for Verlander would push the Mets past $525 million—more than double the second-highest spender.
Why it matters for 2026
Runs were not the problem in 2025; New York scored the fourth-most in the NL while finishing 83-79. The rotation’s 4.63 ERA (19th in MLB) and 12 starts of 2 IP or fewer buried the club. Another collapse would waste the first season of Soto’s record $765 million deal and burn another year of Lindor’s prime.
Bichette, who owns a .330 career average with runners in scoring position, understands the urgency. “Mr. Cohen and David have put together an organization that wants to win the World Series every year,” he said. “And a roster that backs that up—almost.”
That “almost” hangs on one more phone call, one more signature, one more arm. If Stearns nails it, sportsbooks will have to re-write the National League pennant odds. If he doesn’t, the Mets risk becoming the most expensive .500 team ever assembled.
Stay locked on onlytrustedinfo.com for the fastest confirmation the moment Cohen’s final chip hits the table—because when the Mets finish the winter, the rest of baseball usually feels it.
