The Mets are looking to overhaul their starting rotation, and Kodai Senga could be on the trade block.
Senga’s name, along with Brandon Nimmo‘s, was thrown out there as a potential trade piece for the Mets earlier this week, but the interest in the right-hander was brought up on Wednesday’s episode of Mets Hot Stove, where SNY’s Andy Martino spoke on the subject.
Advertisement
“It’s definitely true that he’s being discussed in trade talks,” Martino said. “There’s interest in Kodai Senga around the league right now because of his upside and because of what we’ve seen when he’s at his best…there’s certainly a rational line of thinking that would point to a change of scenery after the last two years being the best for player and team. It is not a definite he’s going to be traded, but there’s going to be so many moving parts coming into the Mets’ rotation, they hope and they plan, that Kodai Senga leaving could be a part of the overall overhaul, and I don’t think there’s going to be a problem finding a trade.”
Senga signed with the Mets in 2023 and pitched to a 2.98 ERA and a 12-7 record, en route to being the NL Rookie of the Year and seventh in Cy Young voting. However, the last two seasons were marred by injuries and poor performance.
In 2024, Senga made just one start due to various injuries but bounced back in the first half of 2025, pitching great through June, but injuries set him back and when he rejoined the team, his performance suffered. Despite that, he still posted a 3.02 ERA in 22 starts this past season, but with an influx of young arms and potential adds this offseason, Senga could be the odd man out.
Advertisement
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke about Senga’s role on the 2026 team at the GM Meetings earlier this month and said at the moment the right-hander is a part of the rotation, and that he still believed Senga has the talent to bounce back.
“I think right now we view Senga as part of our rotation,” Stearns said. “He’s proven at the major league level that he can have really good years. Clearly, the last two years, at times, have been struggles for him. “The talent is there, the desire is certainly there to have a bounce-back year. We’re going to give him every opportunity to do that.”
Currently, Senga is a part of a Mets rotation that includes David Peterson, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes and Nolan McLean. Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong are two young pitchers who made their MLB debuts at the end of the season and are highly regarded. But if Stearns is going to bring in a starter from outside the organization, whether via free agency or trade, other moves will need to be made to make room.
