After failing to retain Edwin Díaz and missing out on Dylan Cease, who landed with the Blue Jays, David Stearns attempted to steady the ship by bringing in Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. Still, for most diehard Mets fans, that move feels more like a stopgap than a solution. That’s why there’s growing buzz that New York may not be done yet, with another pitching move potentially on the horizon.

As per MLB insider Jon Heyman, New York has been linked to free-agent lefty Ranger Suárez, who’s considered one of the best starters still available. So, after losing Díaz, Cease, and passing on Framber Valdez, does going after Suárez actually make sense for the Mets? According to Fox Sports’ Rowan Kavner, there’s a pretty clear answer.

“Even without the swing-and-miss stuff of a typical ace, he has thrived when given the opportunity in October with a 1.48 career postseason ERA over 11 appearances. Those qualities would help a volatile Mats rotation that had the sixth-highest hard-hit rate and ranked 18th in ERA last season,” Kavner said via Fox Sports’ article.

Well, the Mets’ pitching in 2025 was a mess, and it mostly came down to a starting rotation that just couldn’t be trusted to go deep into games. And injuries only made things worse, with key arms like Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, and Frankie Montas missing time.

Reportedly, after the All-Star break, things really unraveled as David Peterson and Manaea both posted ERAs north of 4, while Clay Holmes and Senga were over 5. Montas was even worse, sitting above 7, and Griffin Canning was lost for the season entirely after tearing his Achilles. So, basically, nothing went right for the Mets on the pitching side.

That’s where Ranger Suárez enters the picture.

Over the last five years, among pitchers with at least 600 innings, Suárez ranks 10th in ERA. The 2024 All-Star somehow topped that in 2025, finishing with a 3.20 ERA that ranked 11th among all starters. That kind of consistency and dependability is exactly what the Mets have been missing.

The Mets tried a similar approach with Carlos Carrasco from 2021 to 2023, signing him as a veteran arm to steady an unstable rotation. While he brought experience, injuries and inconsistency limited his impact, showing that dependable depth matters as much as star power.

Notably, Suárez is projected to command around $110 million. This is a lot more than what the Mets handed out to Luke Weaver and Devin Williams. But given how dire the pitching situation has become, a $100-plus million investment really shouldn’t feel all that outrageous for this team.

The Mets should be ready to accept the red flags coming down with Suarez

Well, Ranger Suárez surely isn’t without his question marks. The biggest concerns are durability and how well he holds up over a full season.

If you remember, he has had recurring back issues. And in past years, his velocity and effectiveness have dipped after the All-Star break. So, this raises some doubts about his conditioning and whether he can sustain ace-level production from start to finish. These are all evident despite his elite command and upside.

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That said, those red flags might actually work in the Mets’ favor when it comes to cost. The nagging injuries have kept Suárez from consistently getting past the 160-inning mark, which could keep his price tag from completely skyrocketing!

But when he’s healthy and on the mound, he doesn’t walk many hitters, keeps the ball in the park. He brings the kind of toughness playoff teams love. Because of that, Suárez would make sense for the Mets as a calculated gamble rather than a risk-free splash.