Report: Mets looking to add another ex-All-Star to their pitching staff

You can’t accuse the New York Mets of sleeping on the job this offseason.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports this week that the Mets are interested in adding a third starting pitcher in free agency. Sherman adds that veteran righty Ross Stripling is one of the names on the Mets’ radar.

The 33-year-old Stripling was an All-Star in 2018 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was arguably even better last season with the Toronto Blue Jays, recording 10 wins with a 3.01 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP in 24 starts, which were all career bests.

It has already been a very productive offseason for the Mets, who won 101 games in 2022 (second-most in club history). Despite losing Jacob deGrom to the Texas Rangers, they turned around and signed Justin Verlander to a big contract and then inked veteran lefty Jose Quintana to a two-year deal. Stripling would make for a third ex-All-Star addition to the Mets’ rotation, creating a formidable quintet with Max Scherzer and Carlos Carrasco.

Sherman also notes that the Mets are interested in Japanese star Kodai Senga as well as other unnamed players in both the free-agent and trade markets, so it sounds likely that the team will make further additions.