The Mets responded to a disappointing 2025 season by undergoing a major roster overhaul for 2026, all while sticking to the front office’s preference of avoiding long-term commitments.
Major League Signings
- IF Bo Bichette: Three years, $126MM (includes opt-outs after each season)
- RHP Devin Williams: Three years, $51MM (includes $6MM signing bonus, $15MM in deferrals)
- IF Jorge Polanco: Two years, $40MM
- RHP Luke Weaver: Two years, $22MM
- RHP Luis García: One year, $1.75MM
- OF MJ Melendez: Split deal with $1.5MM salary in majors (can be controlled beyond 2026 via arbitration)
2026 spending (not including Melendez): $86.75MM
Total spending (not including Melendez): $240.75MM
Trades and Claims
- Acquired RHP Joey Gerber from Rays for cash considerations
- Claimed OF Ji Hwan Bae from Pirates (later outrighted)
- Claimed LHP José Castillo from Orioles (later non-tendered and signed in NPB)
- Acquired 2B Marcus Semien from the Rangers for OF Brandon Nimmo
- Claimed RHP Cooper Criswell from Red Sox (later traded to Mariners for cash)
- Claimed C Drew Romo from Orioles (later lost on waivers to White Sox)
- Acquired RHP Yordan Rodriguez from A’s for IF/OF Jeff McNeil and cash considerations
- Acquired $1.5MM in international bonus pool space from Guardians for LHP Franklin Gomez
- Claimed IF Tsung-Che Cheng from Rays (later lost on waivers to Nationals)
- Acquired OF Luis Robert Jr. from White Sox for IF/OF Luisangel Acuña and RHP Truman Pauley
- Acquired RHP Freddy Peralta and RHP Tobias Myers from Brewers for RHP Brandon Sproat and IF/OF Jett Williams
- Acquired IF/OF Vidal Bruján from Twins for cash considerations
- Acquired LHP Bryan Hudson from White Sox for cash considerations
- Claimed C Ben Rortvedt from Dodgers
Option Decisions
- RHP Edwin Díaz opted out of two years and $38MM left on previous deal
- 1B Pete Alonso declined $24MM player option
- Frankie Montas exercised $17MM player option (later released)
- LHP A.J. Minter exercised $11MM player option
- Team exercised $4.75MM club option on LHP Brooks Raley
- Team declined $2MM club option on RHP Drew Smith
Notable Minor League Signings
- Joe Jacques, Jose Rojas, Robert Stock, Nick Burdi, Carl Edwards Jr., Daniel Duarte, Cristian Pache, Kevin Herget, Mike Baumann, Christian Arroyo, Craig Kimbrel, Grae Kessinger, Austin Barnes, Mike Tauchman
Extensions
- None
Notable Losses
- Edwin Díaz, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Cedric Mullins, Tyler Rogers, Griffin Canning, Gregory Soto, Starling Marte, Ryan Helsley, Ryne Stanek, Luisangel Acuña, Brandon Sproat, Jett Williams, Max Kranick (still unsigned), Frankie Montas (still unsigned but will miss 2026 season), Jesse Winker (still unsigned), Jose Siri, Nick Madrigal, Drew Smith, Danny Young (non-tendered)
The 2025 season was a huge disappointment for the Mets. They had just gone to the NLCS the year before. They added Juan Soto in the offseason. They had every expectation of being one of the best teams in the league and got out to a good start. On June 12th, they had a 5.5 game lead over the Phillies in the National League East. It was all downhill from there. They scuffled through the end of the season, going 21-32 in August and September. They finished 83-79, the same record as the Reds. Cincinnati got the final N.L. Wild Card spot via tiebreaker.
In the clubhouse after the final game of the regular season, just minutes after being eliminated, first baseman Pete Alonso told members of the press he would be opting out of his contract. He had almost departed the prior offseason, only returning after lingering unsigned into February. Edwin Díaz would undoubtedly be opting out as well. A few days after Alonso’s forthright comments, it was reported that the Mets were planning a big shakeup of the coaching staff. Rumors of clubhouse discord would eventually seep out.
It seemed like big changes were possible as the club looked to get in position for a better campaign in 2026. It didn’t take long for the dominoes to fall. There were early offseason trade rumors surrounding longtime Mets like Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil. It wasn’t immediately clear how to take those rumors, especially since Nimmo had been with the club since 2011 and had a full no-trade clause on his deal.
Just three weeks into the offseason, Nimmo was traded to the Rangers for Marcus Semien in a rare one-for-one swap of veterans on big contracts. Nimmo would later say he approved the trade essentially because it seemed like the Rangers wanted him more than the Mets did.
For the Mets, the trade checked a few boxes. On the financial side of things, they actually took on more money in the short term. Nimmo is making $20.25MM in each season of the rest of his deal, Semien $26MM for the next two years and then $20MM in the final season. But Nimmo’s deal still has five years left on it, compared to Semien’s three.
Under president of baseball operations David Stearns, the Mets have shown a preference for higher average annual values on shorter deals. Apart from the Soto pact, which was a special case due to his youth, Stearns hasn’t signed anyone to a deal longer than three years since taking over as the club’s front office leader. That preference was clearly at play in the 2025-26 offseason, with the Nimmo/Semien swap fitting the pattern.
It also shored up the club’s defense, something that was a stated goal. Nimmo was once a center fielder but had largely been in left field in 2024 and 2025, reducing some of his value. Semien, despite being his mid-30s, continues to be a reliably above average second baseman in terms of his defense.
More changes came the following month. On December 1st, it was reported that the Mets would be signing reliever Devin Williams to a three-year, $51MM deal. Many felt that was a lot of money for a guy who’d just posted a 4.79 earned run average, but it’s actually somewhat of a buy-low situation.
Williams was one of the most dominant relievers in baseball prior to his 2025 season in the Bronx. He went into that campaign with a career ERA of 1.83. The ERA spike with the Yanks seemed fluky since his stuff appeared to be the same and he still racked up strikeouts and ground balls. His 55.2% strand rate on the year was bizarrely low, more than 20 percentage points below the rest of his career. ERA estimators like his 2.68 FIP and 2.67 SIERA thought he was pretty close to his previous self. Stearns, who was familiar with Williams from their time together in Milwaukee, is betting that 2025 was indeed a fluke.
That didn’t necessarily close the door on a Díaz reunion. The Mets have almost no real budgetary limitations and certainly had room in the bullpen for two elite relievers. However, it was reported on December 9th that Díaz would be signing with the Dodgers.
That seemed to be a bit of an unusual situation. The three-year, $69MM sticker price was a bit below expectations. The Mets had offered him $66MM over three years, which was arguably a better offer because it reportedly had less deferred money compared to the Dodger deal. Some reports said the Mets were willing to go higher but were a bit caught off-guard when he quickly accepted the offer from Los Angeles. Later reports also said Atlanta put a five-year offer out to Díaz. The dollar value of that offer was not revealed but perhaps Díaz just wanted to join the World Series champs and jumped at the chance.
Regardless of the reasons, the Mets were down another longtime franchise staple. He would not be the last. The very next day, on December 10th, it was reported that Alonso would be joining the Orioles on a five-year, $155MM deal. The Mets never seemed to interested in making a long-term investment in their franchise home run leader. It appeared they didn’t want to sign him to anything longer than three years, so he moved on.
Part of the reason the Mets seemed fine with letting Alonso walk is that, as mentioned, improving their defense was a priority this winter. Alonso has never received especially strong grades for his first base defense. Now that he’s 31 years old, he’s more likely to get worse over time than to suddenly improve.
That’s a sensible enough logic in a vacuum, but things got a little strange a few days later when the Mets pivoted to Jorge Polanco on a two-year, $40MM deal. The plan seems to be for Polanco to play a decent amount of first base, though he could also serve as the designated hitter and occasionally play second or third.
Polanco technically has experience playing first base in the big leagues but in the most limited way possible. On April 6th of 2025, Mariners right fielder Víctor Robles injured himself on a catch, recording the second out in the bottom of the ninth inning of a 4-4 game against the Giants. The Mariners removed Robles and shuffled their defenders around, putting Polanco at first. The Giants walked it off on the next pitch with a single to the outfield. That’s the extent of Polanco’s big league experience as a first baseman: one pitch, without having to make a play.
Polanco is coming off a great season at the plate, having hit 26 home runs with a .265/.326/.495 batting line, but there’s some risk. Recurring knee problems have been an issue for him in recent years. He played fewer than 120 games in each season from 2022 to 2024. His offense was below par in the final of those three, which allowed the Mariners to re-sign him for just one guaranteed year and $7.75MM. While he bounced back at the plate, he was almost exclusively a designated hitter in the first half. He gradually played more second base as the season went along but still served as the DH quite a bit.
Though Alonso’s defense was never ideal, his availability was incredible. He never started fewer than 133 games at first in any full season with the Mets. Suddenly pivoting to a guy with almost no experience at the position and notable injury concerns is a curious choice. Polanco can probably handle it, but it speaks to the club’s commitment to their desire for avoiding long-term contractual pitfalls.
Adding Polanco also pushed McNeil further out the door. He had already been in trade rumors, and the Semien acquisition blocked him from the position at which he has spent the most time. He was flipped to the Athletics just before the holidays in what was essentially a salary dump deal. Even though the Mets ate some money in the swap, the A’s took on $10MM of what McNeil is owed this year. Considering the Mets pay a 110% tax rate, that saved them more than $20MM.
Around the same time, they also made another bullpen addition, getting Luke Weaver for $22MM over two years. Weaver’s 2025 didn’t end in strong fashion, but he’s nonetheless coming off a strong two-year run with the Yankees. Over 2024 and 2025, he posted a 3.21 ERA over 148 2/3 innings, striking out 29.5% of opponents and walking just 7.8%. He’s not a replacement for Díaz, but he can pair with Williams for a strong one-two punch at the back of the bullpen.
Going into the holidays, the Mets had been busy but were also left in a weird spot, having seemingly made more subtractions than additions. At second base, they had effectively swapped in Semien for McNeil, with Polanco replacing Alonso at first. But trading Nimmo left a hole in the outfield which had not been filled.
In early January, there were still options. The top two free agent outfielders, Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger, remained unsigned. The Mets were connected to both. They made a strong run at Tucker, once again in alignment with the preference for staying short term. They reportedly offered him a huge $220MM deal over four years, with a couple of opt-outs. The massive $55MM average annual value would have led to a tax bill of over $60.5MM for the Mets, meaning they were willing to shell out almost $120MM annually to get Tucker aboard.
Unfortunately, the Dodgers had similar thinking and went to $240MM over four, so he slipped through the Mets’ fingers. The Mets could have then pivoted to Bellinger but went in a different direction. They found another player willing to opt for a short-term deal with a juiced AAV, giving Bo Bichette a three-year deal worth $126MM, or $42MM per year. Factoring in the tax bill, that’s almost $90MM annually the Mets are sending out. There are opt-outs after each season, so perhaps Bichette will only be around for one year, but it’s a big commitment.
Bichette has been a shortstop for the majority of his career but seems unlikely to spend much more time there going forward. His defensive grades have never been terribly strong. Late in 2025, a knee injury put him on the shelf for the end of the season and the beginning of the playoffs. He was back with the Blue Jays for the World Series but clearly not still 100% healthy. He spent some time as the DH and also limped out to second base a few times.
The Mets had already committed themselves to a middle infield of Francisco Lindor at short and Semien at second. The plan is to move Bichette to third, a position where he has no experience and will have to learn it on the fly. That’s a gamble the Mets are willing to take in order to get Bichette’s bat into the lineup.
That will seemingly push Brett Baty into a super utility role where he bounces around the infield and maybe the outfield corners as well. Mark Vientos is in a somewhat similar spot but his 2025 struggles should put him a bit lower on the depth chart. He’ll be trying to hit his way back into the mix, though he has a narrower path since he’s only really capable of playing the infield corners. The Mets don’t really have a strict DH, so it’s possible for Baty or Vientos to earn more at-bats, perhaps with Polanco moving more towards a full-time DH role.
The Bichette addition still left them with their outfield unaddressed but they quickly checked that box. Just a few days later, they pulled the trigger on a trade for Luis Robert Jr.. To get him to Queens, they took on the entirety of his $20MM salary and will have to pay taxes on that as well. They also parted with some talent, sending utility player Luisangel Acuña and prospect Truman Pauley to the White Sox. Acuña has shown the potential to be a solid bench piece, but the additions of Semien, Polanco and Bichette to the infield made him less necessary. He’s also out of options and surely wouldn’t have gotten through waivers unclaimed.
Robert has the potential to be an excellent upgrade to the Mets outfield but is nowhere near a guarantee. He showed a huge ceiling in 2023, hitting 38 home runs and stealing 20 bases while providing strong center field defense. But in 2024 and 2025, he was on and off the injured list, being capped at 100 games in the former and 110 in the latter. His offense was subpar in both campaigns. The speed and defense give him a nice floor, in a sense, but he has to be on the field to provide that floor.
With Nimmo gone, Soto will be moving from right field to left field. Robert will take over in center. In right field, the Mets wanted to leave a path open for prospect Carson Benge but brought in some contingency plans. They already had Tyrone Taylor on the roster. Late in the winter, they added MJ Melendez on a split deal and Mike Tauchman on a minor league pact. If Benge doesn’t look ready by the end of spring, they have some ways to pivot.
Amid all of this shuffling on the position player side and in the bullpen, the rotation had largely been ignored for most of the winter. The Mets went into the offseason with a starting group consisting of Nolan McLean, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga and David Peterson. Just behind that group were optionable minor leaguers like Brandon Sproat, Jonah Tong and Christian Scott.
It was a good group but one perhaps lacking an ace-like arm at the front. McLean showed the potential for that late in 2025 but he was only able to make eight starts before the winter arrived. The Mets were reportedly looking for an upgrade but (stop me if you’ve heard this one before) wanted to avoid long-term free agent deals.
They were connected to some of those free agents, like Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez, but always seemed more likely to make a big splash on the trade market. Rumors linked them to Joe Ryan, Nick Pivetta, and Edward Cabrera but they were able to land Freddy Peralta from the Brewers. They sent Sproat and prospect Jett Williams to Milwaukee to get Peralta and Tobias Myers.
Peralta is a very sensible fit for the Mets. Stearns is plenty familiar with him; he already acquired Peralta and extended him when he was running the Brewers. Peralta’s one year of club control and $8MM salary are appealing for any club, but they fit well for the Mets and their tax situation.
What remains to be seen is if Stearns can sign Peralta to another extension. He has access to bigger payrolls with the Mets than he did with the Brewers but has really tried to limit the length of deals. Peralta is well positioned to cash in as a free agent next winter and is seemingly angling for the kind of long-term deal the Mets don’t like.
It was a busy offseason for the Mets. They overhauled the roster, bringing in a lot of new faces while letting some of the familiar ones go. The lineup and rotation look really strong. But by sticking to his preferences in terms of contract length, Stearns has been forced to make some compromises. The Mets wanted to improve the defense but are going into the season projecting to have third and first base manned by guys with effectively no experience there. They’ve added an injury-prone center fielder and a 35-year-old second baseman. They made some bullpen additions but may not have really improved it since they lost one of the best closers in the league.
Does it all add up to a better team or have they mostly just shuffled the deck? Give your ranking of the offseason in the poll below.
How would you grade the Mets' offseason?
Photo courtesy of Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
A pretty solid off-season. I’d say B!
You think having 2 players neither one known for defense trying new positions at 1st and 3rd is the smartest play?? Robert also who have had 2 horrible years.
The first time a error happens in infield or Robert strikes out with bases loaded late in a game the NYC media going eat them up
.500 floor, .600 ceiling. If the group meshes and performs to even a good part of their potential, they should make the playoffs with 86-92 wins. It’s not impossible for them to win 79 or 100 though, there’s a lot of variance.
Just as you can point to the lack of experience at the corners, you can take the opposite angle, and say middle infielders should be able to adjust to corner spots with repetitions. It wasn’t fair to be judging Bichette on the first days of ST, who doesn’t need practice to learn something new? And Robert has struggled but was the best player on horrible teams. He was hanging and bantering with Soto in Spanish before the WBC, and it’s easy to imagine him thriving with his huge raw abilities in a more positive, winning environment.
Then you have the wildcards of youth with McLean and Benge, and even Baty looking like he’s starting to emerge. And a farm system the envy of the league. And anchoring it all, Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, two perennial MVP candidates.
It may be amazing, it may be frustrating, but I just can’t wait to watch and find out.
You make some good points have to give it to you. Very well written and thought out. Glad to have read your comment.
A for me. They won all 3 of their big trades. Gave up good not great prospects.
Alonso don’t know. He had some risk at that $. Diaz though looked like a keeper.
yawn
@Benjamin: “You think having 2 players neither one known for defense trying new positions at 1st and 3rd is the smartest play??”
Well, Alonso’s 1st base defense was horrible and they put Mark Vientos, one of the worst defenders in the league, at 3rd for 72 games and 552 innings. So…can’t get much worse.
Ben
“You think having 2 players neither one known for defense trying new positions at 1st and 3rd is the smartest play??”
They didn’t say that, so it’s not the smartest thing to think they think it
“The first time a error happens in infield or Robert strikes out with bases loaded late in a game the NYC media going eat them up”
So? Sports media is the media’s best media
I think people don’t realize how bad the Mets media in NYC can be. I think there is that mental aspect to playing in NYC that not everyone can handle. You’re hoping for 2023 Robert numbers and the 2 new infielders playing in unfamiliar spots. We all know that the first time any of those fail it’s going be on every NYC podcast / talk show etc. that adds pressure.
When a player think they have to be perfect like could get into their heads that when playing is even more hard
*isn’t. Sports media ISN’T the best media
Ben
I think that is MASSIVELY overblown.
Near impossible to tell either way though
I am thinking Baty at 3rd. Bichette learns 1B, as he is only 1 batter less in experience there than Polanco. Polanco/Semien can tag team 2B /DH. Vientos can fill days off. Bichette can do it ! More stability and upside. You know Polanco is an injury waiting. That’s my take.
Ignoring the starting pitching is enough to drop them to a C.
They traded for an ace.
Lgm dog
Rebuilt the team on ” D ” and on paper doesn’t look like they gave up too much offense ……
If they are not a playoff team…… someone should be fired
What is crazy is that Bichette doesn’t have close to the numbers that Alonso has. Alonso left for 155 million over 5 years. Bichette to 126 million over 3 years. The Mets didn’t think Alonso would be worth 14.5 for his 4th and 5th years in New York. I really think the Mets didn’t understand what Alonso leaving could really mean
They signed at different times. Bichette was a terrible signing and reeks of desperation, but Alonso vs bichette is not a thing. They didn’t want to be saddled with Alonso and figured the 1b/dh options for the next 5 years was better than giving him that much.
Again, the Bichette signing is incredibly dumb but they didn’t weigh Alonso vs Bichette in the offseason. They pivoted and gave out a ludicrous short term contract, they didnt start the offseason thinking one or the other.
I think it couldn’t be Soto’s team until Pete left, and it wasn’t about the money. It was also about the roster getting clogged in 2 years with declining defense from Pete and Soto and only one DH spot. You see how fast Nimmo went from a 20 mil centerfielder to a below average leftfielder with a noodle arm. Not saying that will happen to Pete but him declining at all from where he is becomes a problem.
Alonso is buttcheeks
They are two totally different hitters, and I love what Alonso did for this team for years, but his main offensive contribution was home runs. But he was oddly terribly unclutch last year, even when he had his highest batting avg since his rookie year. Bichette will be a better contact hitter and help move the line. He won’t clear the bases as often, but also this team should overall be more complete, not as top heavy, meaning they can give a little power up in return for better defense all over. Alonso was also one of the worst defenders in the league, even a guy who never played the position has a solid chance to be better. Bichette being a SS should make the transition to 3B not bad. The main thing the Mets sacrificed this offseason, besides fans emotions, is durability. My main concern for this team is injuries.
LFGM31:
Alonso was not terribly unclutch last year? I more or less agree with the Mets decisions this offseason but don’t just say things for the sake of saying them, Alonso was the ONLY clutch hitter on the Mets last season. He slashed .309/.401/.634 good for an 1.035 OPS & 137 OPS+ with 14HR & 87 RBI with RISP. He was very good in late and close situations as well and over the 1st half when they had the best record in baseball he carried them with majority of his HR to take the lead or tie the game. Doesn’t mean they should have locked him up long term but all it takes is a quick trip to baseball reference to fact check something before putting a false narrative out there.
QS
“He slashed .309/.401/.634 good for an 1.035 OPS & 137 OPS+ with 14HR & 87 RBI with RISP”
I don’t understand why do many people think RISP is clutch.
Like how is hitting with a runner on third and a 5 run lead in the 8th more clutch than hitting with a runner on 1st with 1 out in the 9th of a tie game?
It’s, of course, not.
High-leverage is clutch.
Alonso did have a 166 wRC+ in high leverage last year. But a higher 172 in medium leverage.
But
In 2024 he had just an 82 wRC+ in high-leverage situations.
This is why people say clutch doesn’t really exist. Almost every player is good in clutch situations in some years and bad in them in other years.
A) Bichette has a good likelihood of opting out. If he does, his contract is either 1/$42 million or 2/$84 million.
B) Even if he doesn’t opt out, the Mets are done with his deal in three years. So, two years and $29 million sooner than Alonso.
C) I’d bet the farm that Alonso is not going to be worth $14.5 million in years 4 and 5 of that deal.
D) They play different positions.
E) Alonso had his best season since 2022 last year. He was still only worth about 3.5 WAR.
F) imo, Mets knew exactly what it would really mean letting Alonso walk. It’s why they did it.
Ben
“What is crazy is that Bichette doesn’t have close to the numbers that Alonso has”
It is crazy to say that, I agree. Bichette is better than Alonso.
At this point in their careers very few teams would take Bichette over Alonso. Bichette is never going put up the power numbers etc.
As a non Mets fans I would rather pitch to Bichette all day long than Alonso as the same number of at bats Alonso is going have a lot more home and RBI.
I can come back from a single that scored a run but a 3 run home run crook numbers that really change a game.
“At this point in their careers very few teams would take Bichette over Alonso.”
We disagree on this. I would wager more baseball GMs agree with me. That Alonso contract is not going to look good in a couple of years.
Also you’re ignoring Alonso’s defense, which is terrible according to defensive metrics.
Ben
“At this point in their careers very few teams would take Bichette over Alonso.”
Very hard disagree
“I can come back from a single that scored a run but a 3 run home run crook numbers that really change a game.”
Do the people who say stuff like this watch baseball? Like ever?
Do you think, perhaps, it matters HOW OFTEN those things happen? Sure, a 3-run home run scores 3 runs. But how many 3-run home runs does one player hit? Last year he hit 8 3-run home runs (and one grand slam).
Do you think, maybe, what happens in his other **600+ plate appearances** should also be involved in the calculation?
Using your **poor** analogy, Bichette had 33 singles that scored runs.
Last I checked 33 runs is more than 24.
“Alonso as the same number of at bats Alonso is going have a lot more home and RBI.”
Again. Watch a game, I’m begging. There is more to offense than home runs and RBI.
Now, Alonso is a better hitter than Bichette. But hitting isn’t the only thing that baseball players do. Bichette does the other things, mostly plays defense, well enough that he’s probably a better overall player than Alonso.
Alonso =DH
Bichette= SS,3B,2B. He may not great at any of the positions, but he still plays premium positions.
Definate C grade here. Should have figured out a way to keep Pete in the fold. Let him go hit his 400 with the O’s
Letting Diaz go is way bigger than letting Pete go. Still, some nice off season moves for the team. I give them a B
Getting outplayed on Diaz I thought was about right for Dynamite Dave. It was embaressing the way things went with him.
Pete is garbage. Your score is worthless
The starting rotation will determine the success of the team. If the starters average 6.0 or more, the pen will look better and there will be less dependence on the offense.
Maybe so with the starting rotation determining things but with 1st and 3rd played with players out of position that they are used to. One would wonder how many innings aren’t going end as quickly as they should with Bichette not making every “normal” play at third and Polanco trying figure out the footing and digging throws out of the dirt.
I think the pitching comes down to how well and how quickly Bichette and Polanco learn their positions. We hear every year with gold glove winners how having a gold glove caliber first baseman is so important as the infielder doesn’t have to try and be perfect
Pipe dream, Exile… No team’s starters average 6 or more, and fewer than ten individual starters did it last year. Paul Skenes averaged 5.86….
It’s amusing to see how much people trashed Alonso over the last couple of years and mocked the Mets for keeping him around. Now that he’s gone, suddenly he’s amazing and the Mets are stupid for letting him go.
That is an inaccurate narrative, IMO. People trashed Alonso after the 2024 season. But by the end of 2025 and throughout the offseason, opinions were decidedly split on whether the Mets should re-sign him or not.
That defense. Yuck
I feel kinda silly stating the obvious but ALL the games in this years Fall Classic will be played in NYC.
Silly, yes. Obvious, no.
Defensively Stearns solidified them up the middle. The corners are questionable at best, but the offensive upside may be worth the trade-off. Pitching improved and can only get better with McLean and Tong getting time in while they finally got an ace in Peralta. The starting 5 leaves some opportunity for trade, such as Senga. Peralta, McLean, Tong, Manaea, Peterson, Scott, and Holmes gives them an exceedingly strength amount of depth at 8 starters. The bullpen is one of those areas where they have the names but can they produce? Moving Holmes to the pen would be the solid move, giving them depth in the pen that potentially be very good.
Overall I’d give them a C+. They had other opportunities that made more sense but seemed to wait too long or over analyzed what they were looking at. Bellinger would have been the move as opposed to Bichette IMHO.
Forget Bellinger. His thoroughly mediocre .715 OPS away from Yankee Stadium would look terrible those dollars and years.