The Mets have officially revealed the order of their starting rotation to begin the 2026 regular season. While it has long been known that Freddy Peralta would get the ball when the Mets take the field on March 26 against the Pirates, the club revealed today that David Peterson would get the ball in Game 2, with Nolan McLean starting the series closer against the Pirates. Clay Holmes and Kodai Senga would round out the first two games of the team’s road series against the Cardinals.
The Mets have long been rumored to be embracing a six-man rotation in 2026, and while that plan is likely still in tact, one new bit of information came out today regarding Sean Manaea. The left-hander, who endured an injury-plagued and ineffective 2025 campaign after re-signing with New York on a three-year deal, will piggy back off one of the team’s five starters to begin the regular season. Carlos Mendoza did not specify which starter he would piggy back with, and it’s possible that he has not yet come to that decision.
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Manaea is coming off a spring training outing in which he threw four perfect innings, but his velocity has remained down this spring. Mendoza offered his explanation for the decision to piggy back Manaea to start, citing six guys throwing the ball well and the early season schedule. Because of the off days on March 27 and April 6, the Mets can go five a five-man rotation while also getting everyone an extra day of rest. The first day they would theoretically need a sixth starter is Sunday, April 12 against the Athletics at Citi Field, if all else stays the same.
The Mets’ starting pitching went from looking like a weakness to a strength when the club acquired Peralta in a trade with the Brewers at the tail end of the offseason. That, combined with McLean starting for a full year, should help solidify a rotation that was ninth in the NL with a 4.13 ERA but 13th in the league with a 5.27 ERA after June 13. The Mets’ rotation was especially ineffective going deep into games, combining for 428 2/3 innings from June 13 onward (dead last in baseball).
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