Mets Linked To Cy Young Award Winner As Possible Option To Boost Rotation

Could the Mets make a game-changing move involving a Cy Young Award winner?

Apr 14, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes (39) throws a pitch / Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets have surprised some people this season.

New York struggled out of the gate but has looked like a much better team over the last few weeks. The Mets spent the offseason adding depth with high upside and so far things have worked out for the club.

While they don't have the star power as a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York still is loaded and could compete for a postseason spot.

The Mets decided to pursue smaller deals this past offseason and have been solid so far. They could take an even bigger step forward in 2025 as the club is expected to get back to its high-spending ways in free agency next offseason.

One player who has been mentioned as an intriguing option to help the Mets' starting rotation out is three-time All-Star Corbin Burnes, according to ESPN's Bradford Doolittle.

"When that infrastructure is fully established, the real fun begins," Doolittle said. "When we start to contemplate a 2025 version of the fully operational, Stearns-led Mets, it is one that will have flexibility under even the lowest tax threshold to seize any opportunity that arises -- for instance, impact stars such as Juan Soto, Roki Sasaki, Walker Buehler, and Burnes."

Burnes certainly is the most successful pitcher on this list. The 2021 American League Cy Young Award winner is one of the top pitchers in baseball and will be a free-agent at the end of the season.

The righty was traded to the Baltimore Orioles this past offseason and has shined with a 2.76 and 3-0 record through five starts. He also has an impressive 29-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 29 1/3 innings pitched.

Burnes has been great and could be exactly what the Mets need at the top of the rotation. He will be expensive, but the Mets could afford him. Plus, New York president of baseball operations David Stearns already has a relationship with Burnes from their shared time in Milwaukee.

Don't be surprised if speculation picks up about a possible move throughout the season.

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