The New York Mets did not place a single arm on Just Baseball’s top 10 starting pitchers list for the 2026 season, an analysis highlighting the most dominant arms on the mound. Not even a member of the New York Yankees made the cut, and with ace Gerrit Cole reportedly sidelined by injury, there may not be another Yankees starter currently viewed at that elite level.
Just Baseball released its ranking of the 10 best starting pitchers heading into 2026, led by Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers. The top spot is well deserved after Skubal closed out the 2025 season with a 2.21 ERA across 31 starts, the best mark of his career in that category.
The Mets, who recently added Freddy Peralta after he posted a 2.70 ERA with the Milwaukee Brewers, might have seemed like a candidate to crack the list. However, the No. 2 spot went to Paul Skenes, who has made his intentions clear with the Pittsburgh Pirates heading into 2026.
Just Baseball’s Top 10 Starting Pitchers
All pitchers featured on the list delivered strong 2025 campaigns. Even though their teams did not reach the World Series, their individual performances earned them recognition. The Yankees also had quality arms last season, but according to Just Baseball’s evaluation, none project as a top-10 threat entering 2026.
| Rank | Player Name | Team Logo |
| 1 | Tarik Skubal | Detroit Tigers |
| 2 | Paul Skenes | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 3 | Garrett Crochet | Chicago White Sox |
| 4 | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| 5 | Cristopher Sanchez | Philadelphia Phillies |
| 6 | Logan Webb | San Francisco Giants |
| 7 | Chris Sale | Atlanta Braves |
| 8 | Jacob deGrom | Texas Rangers |
| 9 | Hunter Brown | Houston Astros |
| 10 | Bryan Woo | Seattle Mariners |
Garrett Crochet represents a particularly interesting case. Ranked third overall, he will begin the season with a new team after departing the Boston Red Sox, where he finished 2025 with a 2.59 ERA. By that same statistical measure, Peralta could arguably have warranted consideration as well.
Rounding out the list is Bryan Woo, who made 30 starts and posted a 2.94 ERA while providing a major boost to the Seattle Mariners. It marked the best season of his career in multiple categories, including innings pitched, strikeouts, WAR, and a 15–7 record, his strongest win-loss mark to date.