Among the biggest items on the Mets’ offseason agenda is to reconstruct a rotation that will have several vacancies.
Heading to free agency are Sean Manaea (almost certainly), Luis Severino and Jose Quintana. Christian Scott will miss next season.
The only seeming certainties for the 2025 starting group are Kodai Senga and David Peterson, with Tylor Megill, Paul Blackburn and Joey Lucchesi as potential depth/swing options.
Top prospects such as Brandon Sproat and Blade Tidwell could fight their way into the conversation.
A wild card for the 2025 rotation will concern how the Mets decide to best implement Jose Butto, who says he has no preference.
“If they make me a starter, I would be a starter,” Butto said before the Mets faced off with the Dodgers for Game 5 of the NLCS at Citi Field. “If they put me in the bullpen like this year, I would do that, too.
“I will do what they need me to do.”
Butto has done whatever the Mets needed him to do this year and generally done it well.
After an inconsistent 2023 season, Butto returned with a different pitch mix, a refined and somewhat new sinker and filled in admirably as others went down at the start of the season.
The 26-year-old pitched to a 3.08 ERA in seven starts before getting sent down to Triple-A Syracuse, then reappeared because he was needed in the Mets bullpen.
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Beginning in early July, Butto became a multi-inning, every-couple-day threat who served as an admirable bridge to the late innings while owning a 2.00 ERA in 36 frames through 23 games.
Perhaps the Mets have found their next Seth Lugo: a pitcher capable of starting and relieving, which is both invaluable and presents a large decision for the club.
In retrospect, the Mets probably chose incorrectly with Lugo, who was a solid reliever in Queens but has emerged as an All-Star starter with the Royals.
Butto is allowing the club to worry about those kinds of decisions. Even through some playoff struggles, Butto has impressed in his ability to trade pitching paths midseason.
“In the beginning it was a little bit different,” said Butto, who added that once he learned a routine he had little trouble adjusting.