There was a time earlier this summer when the Mets’ prized star looked unstoppable. With hitters flailing at his ghost fork and fans buzzing related to his dominance, it looked like the Mets had finally secured the kind of ace you could build October dreams around. However, baseball has a cruel way of flipping the script. Just as the season reached its most vital stretch, the very pitcher who once carried the team has become the center of doubt—and the focus of some harsh public scrutiny.

The turning point? Some shaky outings, which stripped away the confidence once tied to the star’s name. What began with a midseason hamstring strain has unraveled into something larger: a trust issue. “Kodai Senga doesn’t deserve it. He doesn’t invoke any confidence at all in me, watching him. It drives me crazy,” WFAN’s Boomer Esiason vented on-air, highlighting the frustration multiple Mets fans now feel.

Such a frustration hit another peak after Kodai Senga’s current outing against the Nationals, when the star labored through five innings, gave up five runs, and once again left the Mets in a gap too deep to climb. “It’s 100% on Kodai Senga. Not on anybody else but him,” Esiason continued. “He’s supposed to be their number one starter… and he’s not doing it.” Tough statement, however, it captured the mood. Instead of inspiring confidence, the $75 million star has left fans uneasy about what lies ahead.

For Carlos Mendoza, the rookie manager tasked with steering the team into October, that unease has already become a looming dilemma. If the team does reach the playoffs, who takes the ball in Game 1? The answer was once automatic. Now, it is anything but. On WFAN, the hosts were blunt: “If I’m starting a series, it’s going to be Peterson. That’s who it’s going to be. It’s not going to be Senga. That’s all there is to it.” A statement that would have sounded unthinkable just two months ago now looks uncomfortably reasonable.

The data tells part of the story. Since Senga’s injured list stint, the star owns a 5.23 ERA with a troubling walk issue — 19 free passes against just 29 strikeouts over seven starts. The crisp bite of Senga’s ghost fork, once the stuff of nightmares for hitters, now looks more like a hanging invitation. As Mets columnist John Harper said, “Hanging ghost forks, hanging sliders, middle-middle cutters… he used to be at his best with runners in scoring position. But not lately.”

Then there is the timing. The Mets are not fighting for pride—the team is clawing for postseason positioning in an NL logjam. “When you spend the amount of money the Mets are spending, they have to make the playoffs,” the WFAN hosts said. “Or it is just an abject failure.” Such pressure magnifies every pitch, every walk, and every inning that does not match the standard of a star. Losing to the lowly Nationals only deepened the sting.

So where does that leave Mendoza? Staring at a playoff rotation question no manager wants to answer: Do you stick with the star you invested $75 million in? Do you pivot to a steadier, if less electric, option? The team still thinks Senga can find himself—the star’s velocity has not dipped, suggesting command more than injury is the culprit. However, belief and trust are two distinctive things, and right now, the latter is what is eroding.

However, in such a situation, another decision related to Brandon Sproat is not just related to one arm — it’s part of a larger blueprint the management has been crafting to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Mets’ rotation strategy and playoff push

For the Mets, pitching depth has shifted from a luxury to a necessity. Over the last month, the rotation has posted a combined 4.72 ERA, ranking in the bottom half of MLB contenders. Kodai Senga’s return from injury gave stability; however, the back end — with Tylor Megill and Sean Manaea — has lacked consistency. That is why inserting a steady young star like Brandon Sproat could be vital. Not only would it ease innings off veterans, but it would also enable the team to stretch to a six-man rotation, keeping stars fresher for a powerful October run. Historically, teams that leaned on youth late in the season — like, the 2022 Braves with Spencer Strider — saw big returns.

Adding Sproat also highlights the Mets’ enhanced farm system approach. Once ranked near the bottom, the team’s pipeline is now top-10 by MLB Pipeline, with multiple stars cracking top-100 lists. Nolan McLean’s debut proved that prospects can contribute quickly, and Jonah Tong is waiting in the wings. If Sproat plays effectively, the team would suddenly have a wave of cost-controlled pitching — a sharp contrast from their heavy reliance on high-priced veterans in the current season. For a team chasing October relevance, such a balance of present urgency and future security could define not just 2025, however, the next multiple seasons.

The Mets’ playoff hopes will hinge not just on their veterans, however, but on how quickly the team’s prized young stars can adapt to the majors. Brandon Sproat’s looming debut could be the spark that reshapes the rotation, specifically, with Kodai Senga’s not delivering effectively. For a team desperate for stability, the next few weeks could define whether 2025 becomes another “what if” season and the year their youth movement finally delivers.

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