MLB Rumors: Insider Guarantees Mets Land One Of Two Star Players

January 07, 2026 , ,
New York Mets logo on jersey.

The New York Mets have been circling the top of the pitching market all winter, and now an MLB insider is basically calling the shot. 

ESPN’s Buster Olney says it feels “inevitable” the Mets come away with one of Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez.

Mets predicted to sign Framber Valdez or Ranger Suarez

The Mets watched their starting pitching crumble down the stretch in 2025, and even if they like the upside of young arms such as Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Brandon Sproat, this team needs a proven lefty who can take the ball, calm things down, and carry October-level innings. 

Valdez and Suarez are the two headliners still sitting there while the starter market drags behind the early splash of Dylan Cease signing elsewhere.

How Valdez or Suarez changes the Mets in 2026

If the Mets want the safest “big-game” resume, Valdez checks that box. He posted a 3.66 ERA with 192 innings and 187 strikeouts in 2025 with a 3.37 FIP, and over the last five seasons he’s been the kind of workload monster teams trust when the calendar flips to July and the division tightens up.

He’s also a two-time All-Star and a World Series champion, which is exactly the type of pedigree that plays in Queens when expectations are loud.

Suarez brings his own kind of fit, especially because he’s already lived in the NL East pressure cooker. 

Coming off a career year in 2025, he went 12-8 with a 3.20 ERA, logging 157.1 innings with 151 strikeouts and a 3.21 FIP, and he’s built a reputation as a steady, composed starter who does not get rattled when the stage gets bigger. 

Either way, the Mets are being linked to a move that's about restoring trust in the rotation for an entire season.

Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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