As the Mets continue to pursue starting pitching upgrades this offseason, one possible trade candidate has emerged.
The Mets are showing interest in Twins right-hander Joe Ryan, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Ryan, 29, is coming off a career year with Minnesota and he has two more years of team control remaining in arbitration. The right-hander was an All-Star for the first time in 2025 with the Twins, posting a 3.42 ERA over a career-high 171 innings pitched. He has one of the best fastballs in baseball and with the way he’s developed over these last few years in Minnesota’s rotation, it’s clear he hasn’t reached his full potential yet.
It’s no surprise to hear the Mets are interested in a pitcher like Ryan. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns made it clear during the General Manager Meetings last month that his club will be “heavily involved” in the trade market for ace-caliber starters this offseason. After all, it was the Mets’ rotation that flopped throughout the second half of this past season. Other than phenom Nolan McLean and a few veterans, the Mets have question marks sprinkled throughout their starting staff.
With a top-ranked farm system at Stearns’ disposal, no pitcher available on the trade market should be off limits for the Mets. That also includes Tigers ace Tarik Skubal if Detroit makes the two-time Cy Young Award winner available. Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta and Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene would fit that ace mold as well — and that’s not including any of the top starters available in free agency.
The path to trading for Ryan could flow through one of the Mets’ pitching prospects. According to Heyman, the Twins are believed to like Mets right-hander Jonah Tong.
Tong, 22, is ranked as the Mets’ No. 2 pitching prospect by MLB Pipeline. He made his MLB debut with the Mets this past season. Even if Tong posted a 7.71 ERA over his first five big-league starts, he showed flashes of dynamic strikeout stuff that can get big-league hitters out.
Even if it’s not Minnesota and the Mets are negotiating with another club on the trade market, Tong is poised to be the centerpiece of a deal for a starting pitcher. Another option would be Brandon Sproat, another top-ranked arm in the Mets’ system who also made his big-league debut this year.
It’s unclear if the Twins would be willing to trade Ryan away. Minnesota had a fire sale at the trade deadline last summer, but held on to Ryan and right-hander Pablo Lopez. ESPN’s Jeff Passan recently predicted that there’s a 50 percent chance that Ryan could be moved this winter by the Twins. He gave the same odds for Lopez. Outfielder Bryon Buxton is another player the Twins could trade away if they truly want to reset in the big leagues and rebuild with prospects.