A new rumor claims New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga is drawing a good bit of interest around MLB. However, trading him now may not be the right move for the club.

Despite having the largest payroll in baseball (without deferrals) this past season, the Mets were the league’s biggest disappointment as they finished dead last in the NL East with a 74-88 record. Before an expected lockout takes hold on Dec. 1, the Mets will be one of the teams that will be aggressive in improving the roster before major payroll changes come in a new collective bargaining agreement.

While Gold Glove winner Nolan McLean is a great anchor for their pitching staff, they need a lot of help on that part of the roster after trading seven arms before this season’s deadline, including opening day ace Freddy Peralta. Furthermore, after an underwhelming debut season in Queens, it is unclear if Devin Williams will get a second chance at being the team’s closer in 2027.

That is why a new rumor may not be as good as it would have been a year ago. According to a new report from The Athletic’s Will Sammon, Ken Rosenthal, and Katie Woo, “New York Mets pitcher Kodai Senga is attracting trade interest from multiple teams,” with the general manager meetings now underway in Las Vegas.

New York Mets should hold on to Kodai Senga, for now

If this were a year ago, or even before this season’s MLB trade deadline, the Mets would have jumped at moving Senga. After a strong debut in 2023 that earned him All-Star honors, the Japanese import has struggled with staying healthy and his stuff in the three seasons since. That is why the team has been looking to move him for much of the last year. Unsurprisingly, they had few takers for him and the money left on his five-year, $75 million contract.

Senga was awful for the first four months of last season and eventually was moved to the bullpen. However, due to an injury to Williams, he was given a shot as the Mets’ closer, and he was great. In August, he posted a 1.74 ERA with five saves in 10.1 innings. Although he struggled a bit in September, he still posted three more saves.

If the Mets are unsure about Williams, moving one of the few bullpen arms who pitched well late in the season would be a risk. Especially since the team already needs to add, not subtract, this offseason. While moving the money left on his contract would be a good thing, they might be better off seeing how they fare in free agency over the next couple of weeks and revisit a trade after the lockout.