Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported that the Mets are looking to add a “very top” starting pitcher this winter. He reported that the order of players they seem to have interest in are Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman and Robbie Ray. He also mentioned that the Mets are also interested in bringing back Marcus Stroman, as well as other starters.

It was reported last week that new Mets GM Billy Eppler was going to be aggressive in the starting pitcher market.

Those three names all had great years in 2021. Scherzer was an National League Cy Young finalist, Gausman had a stellar first half and Ray won the American League Cy Young.

Heyman noted that Scherzer may be a tough get for the Mets because he preferred to be in California at the trade deadline. (Scherzer has tormented the Mets throughout his career and reportedly wouldn’t allow a trade to the Mets at the 2021 deadline.)

Scherzer, 37, was spectacular in 2021. Between the Nationals and Dodgers, he posted a 2.46 ERA over 30 starts. His time with the Dodgers was even more impressive. He had a 1.98 ERA, and the Dodgers didn’t lose any of the 11 games that he started.

Kevin Gausman, 30, was one of the best pitchers in baseball in the first half with the Giants. He was competing with Jacob deGrom early on in the season for most impressive pitcher in baseball in 2021. After his 12th start of the year on June 5, he had a 1.27 ERA. Things started to fall off for Gausman after that start, but he still finished with a 2.81 ERA over 33 starts.

MMO‘s Michael Mayer reported that the Mets have showed significant interest in Gausman.

Robbie Ray, 30, is coming off a Cy Young-winning season. He led the American League with a career-high 2.84 ERA over 32 starts with the Blue Jays. He also led baseball with 248 strikeouts, and had an AL best 1.045 WHIP.

The Mets have a major need at starting pitching right now. The current Mets rotation is quite thin: Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker, Carlos Carrasco, David Peterson, and Tylor Megill. This just adds to the list of places where the Mets are aiming high this offseason.