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Juan Soto will likely have to move to DH at some point during his 15-year deal with the Mets, but don’t expect it in 2026.  

Carlos Mendoza indicated on Monday at the Winter Meetings that he will continue to use Soto consistently in right field this season.

“He doesn’t like DHing,” the skipper said. “He takes pride in being a good defender, and he will continue to do so. The schedule will dictate sometimes dealing with physical stuff and you’re trying to keep his bat in the lineup, the DH may come in to play, but if he’s feeling good enough, he’s going to be out there in right field.”

Soto appeared in just three games as the DH during his first season in Queens. 

He worked hard with outfield coach Antoan Richardson on improving defensively during spring training, but still finished with a minus-13 Fielding Run Value and minus-12 Outs Above Average during his first season in Queens. 

Still, David Stearns indicated earlier this offseason that the team believes he can turn things around with the glove. 

"Juan is one of our players we believe can perform better defensively than he did last year," he told Mike Puma of the NY Post. "I think he believes that he’s going to work hard on it this offseason -- he’s motivated to do that, and he’s proven at previous times in his career that he can perform better in right field."

Keeping Soto regularly in right leaves the DH spot open for a potential Kyle Schwarber addition in free agency. 

Pete Alonso could also be in the mix for more DH at-bats if he were to return to the club. 

A few years ago, Cody Bellinger's once-promising career – the NL Rookie of the Year in 2017 and MVP in 2019 – looked to be over after batting .193 with a .611 OPS in his final 239 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But after two solid years on Chicago's Northside and a terrific year in The Bronx, he enters free agency as one of baseball’s hot commodities.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone says there’s a lot to love about the 30-year-old outfielder’s game.

“Who he was in the room, his performance between the lines on both sides of the ball, his athleticism, his versatility,” the manager said Monday at the MLB Winter Meetings. “Who wouldn't want a player like that?”

During his (so far) lone season in pinstripes, Bellinger's on-field contributions totaled 29 home runs, 98 RBI, with a .272/.334/.480 slash line for an .813 OPS (125 OPS+ and wRC+) while ranking in the 93rd percentile in outs above average (seven) and with 12 defensive runs saved.

But with free agency, the power and decision of where he plays next is up to him for the second time in his career, something Boone is content with waiting to see how it plays out.

“He's earned the right now to get to this point of his career of free agency as still a relatively young man,” Boone said. “We’ll see what happens, we’ll see how it shakes out. As far as the player and the person, he’s a good one."

Boone said he hasn’t been part of the recruitment process, adding he doesn’t typically do that with players who have been with the club previously. 

“They know who we are, they know what we’re about,” the skipper said. “Certainly, if there comes a point where – and this isn’t just for Cody, this is with anyone – when it gets to a point where we’re starting to get down the road, or being in conversations, I’ll certainly have conversations with guys where I see it fit.”

Out in left field

Part of the conversation around bringing back Bellinger would be: What does that mean for Jasson Dominguez’s opportunity to play more in left field?

“We’re back into the hypothetical again,” Boone said with a smile when asked about Dominguez’s opportunities. “Right now, reality is JD is a young, talented player that got real experience at the big-league level last year. Had a lot of success, had some struggles along the way with it, but I think we all see a really talented player there.”

Of course, while the situation is hypothetical now, reality could come calling at some point in the not-too-distant future.

“If the situation presents itself down the road where you end up having a lot of good players for not enough spots,” Boone said, “you figure it out. You work it out. And then competition plays a big role, too. Those things kinda work themselves out.”

He added: “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, if and when something like that comes up.”

Dominguez returned to the Dominican to “get more at-bats” playing winter ball, which Boone called something that will be “very valuable” to the 22-year-old.

“Just going down there and playing in that environment and getting some at-bats and continuing to play,” he said, noting that while Dominguez reached 429 plate appearances on the year, that down the stretch he “didn’t play much obviously.”

One area that the Yanks hope to see Dominguez improve is batting from the right side. The switch-hitter posted a .274 average and .768 OPS as a lefty and just a .204 average and .569 OPS as a righty. The manager pointed toward limited at-bats as a reason for that disparity – 325 plate appearances as a lefty to 104 as a righty.

“We’re talking about a very, very young player that didn’t play a ton of minor league baseball, and what suffers from that? The side you don’t hit from as much,” Boone said. “I still think it's a natural side for him, he’s a natural right-handed hitter. I don’t think it’s out of the question that at some point that right hand catches up to the left side, but we’ll see.”

The bigger question regarding Dominguez’s chances is his defense in left field, which was a real liability: He was in the 2nd percintile for outs above average (minus-10).

“Overall, real improvement, but there’s still a long ways to go in that improvement,” Boone said of his defense. “The difference of him February compared to April compared to June, I think there was really big strides. But still a ways to go just in learning the nuances of the position. 

“He’s athleticism is a real calling card for him as far as speed and arm strength, and you hope that continues to win the day and eventually gets him to that point where ‘man, now he’s really good out there.’ Still has a lot of development to do in that regard.”

First base for Ben Rice

Rice's bat was the biggest boost for the Yankees last season as he slugged 26 home runs and posted an .836 OPS, but his versatility playing first base and catching helped solve several lineup headaches for the manager. Entering the 2026 season, the club is leaving the option to see him work behind the plate open, while pointing the 26-year-old toward first.

"Right now he's our first baseman," Boone said. "The catching stuff is still very much in play, and then we'll see. We'll see how the offseason unfolds with how we are roster-wise going into spring training, and how much catching that means, or if it is all first base. But definitely see him as our first baseman."

Boone said that he didn't think Rice got "shorted" from working on his defense at first base by working at both spots, and that they will continue to give him time at catcher: "It's an important skill that he possesses that you don't want it to go away, because he's capable back there."

In early November, general manager Brian Cashman told reporters that "more likely than not" he sees Rice at first "without a doubt."

"I view Ben Rice as having an everyday role in the big leagues for us next year, whether it's at first... right now the lane is first base, I have no doubt teams will continue to come after our players, Rice included, for trade conversations," Cashman said at the time. "But as of right now, yeah, he's in our lineup, and the more likely spot would be first base."

The Mets have a number of openings to fill this offseason, but it appears you can officially scratch one off the list.  

Carlos Mendoza said Monday at the MLB Winter Meetings that as things stand, Brett Baty will see the majority of the playing time at third base come spring training. 

The hot corner was a huge question mark for New York coming into last season, but Baty truly took his game to another level and secured his hold on the everyday job.

“Brett took that step forward,” the skipper said. “It felt like we had a tryout there and Baty just got comfortable and played really well from both sides of the field -- we’ll see what happens, but as of right now Brett will get a lot of the opportunities.”

As for Mark Vientos, Mendoza says the team is preparing the young slugger for all scenarios.

The 25-year-old has been taking reps at both first and third over the winter.  

“We aren’t throwing third out the window, and he’s working a lot at first,” he said. “But again, a lot can happen. So the one thing I told him is control the things you can control -- just put yourself in the best position and show up to camp ready to compete.”

Ronny Mauricio also finds himself in a similar position coming off an up-and-down first full pro season.

The biggest thing for him, though, is just staying healthy and ready to go.

“It’s good to see him playing Winter Ball and playing well,” Mendoza said. “He looks good and is in a very good place. He has to come in and compete for a spot on the roster -- there’s flexibility there, but I think the biggest thing is for him to be healthy.

“If we get a healthy-version of Ronny Mauricio, he is an impactful player.”

The Mets’ stance on Pete Alonso continues to stay the same. 

Those around the organization have made it clear over the past few months that they’d love to have the free agent slugger back in orange and blue next year and beyond. 

David Stearns and Carlos Mendoza reiterated that feeling, speaking at the Winter Meetings on Monday.
“Of course I want him,” the skipper said. “You’re talking about a guy that, as a manager, his ability to post every day -- when you don’t have to worry about who is going to play first and hitting in the middle of the lineup, you can’t beat that.”

“We’d love to have him back,” Stearns added. “Pete has demonstrated he’s one of the best offensive players in baseball, and he’s performed at a high level for us -- that would be a priority for any team, and it certainly is for us.”

Alonso is looking to cash in on his highly productive campaign into a long-term deal. 

Recent reports indicated that he may be seeking a pact of at least seven years, but an AL official told Joel Sherman of the NY Post that the length isn’t out there.

The right-handed slugger is expected to drive from his home in Tampa to the meetings on Tuesday to sit down with interested teams, including the Red Sox and Orioles. 

New York likely won’t be among those, though, with the two sides having so much familiarity. 

“Pete knows us really well; we know Pete really well,” Stearns said. “I think he’ll take the time here to perhaps meet with organizations he doesn’t know quite as well, and we’ll be in touch.”

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns spoke with reporters on several topics at the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando on Monday, including what work is still to be done with improving the bullpen, an active trade market, and Kodai Senga having an “outstanding” start to his offseason.

‘Open-minded’ on every front

“In any transaction period, and certainly the Winter Meetings, you want to make your team better, and I think we’re focused on doing that,” Stearns said of what he hopes to accomplish this week. “We also know it’s a really long offseason, we’ll see whether we’re able to get anything done here. At this point, it’s too early for me to know that one way or another.

“But I am confident that we’re making progress to ultimately make some transactions that I think will ultimately help our team and our organization going forward.”  

When asked if there was a specific area he felt the team needed to improve, the Mets’ top man said they are “open-minded to getting better anywhere.”

“I don’t think there is a segment to our team right now that we can look at or would look at and say ‘that’s a finished product,’” Stearns said. “So we have to be open-minded to all of the above. We’ve been very open, and I’ve been very open from the moment our season ended, that we have to get better at keeping runs off the board. 

"And I think we’ve made some progress in doing that, and I think we’re gonna continue to look at areas where we can add players to our team that help us do that.”

Bullpen work to be done

While the defensive improvements – specifically adding second baseman Marcus Semien in a trade with Texas – is at the forefront of keeping runs down, the bullpen is another area that can help achieve that goal. Mets relievers posted a 3.93 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP last year (15th in baseball) and opponents batted .244 off them (tied for 11th worst).

Steans said they were “certainly thrilled” about being able to sign Devin Williams to bolster the back-end of the bullpen, but that doesn’t rule out further moves.  

“I wouldn’t say we’re done with our bullpen at this point,” he said. “We recognize that we have slots to fill. Some of those may come through free agency, some of those may come through trades, some of those may come from some internal candidates who we think are poised to take the next step, either in their development or the next step in, perhaps, a role they can occupy at the major league level. 

“But, we understand we got some roles to fill in the ‘pen, and I’m confident we’re gonna be able to do so.”

On a busy trade market

“I think the trade market, in general agnostic of position, is pretty active,” Stearns said. “And I think there’s a lot of chatter and has been throughout this offseason among teams in the trade market, it seems. Teams in general are, maybe, a little more open and willing to be creative, to talk about different kinds of structures, to talk about need-for-need type trades at the major league level that maybe we’ve seen over the past couple years at least.”

Does that mean Stearns thinks he’s in a better position to make trades this offseason than his first two offseasons in charge of the club? “I don’t know,” he said. “I think we've had a very successful player development growth and we’ve had a number of players internally throughout our minor league system get better, and I think that’s been recognized throughout the industry.”

Stearns added that when that development happens, you “receive a lot of incoming calls about young players, about prospects.”

“Perhaps there are a few more opportunities to make deals,” he said, and they will “continue to explore” those opportunities and imagine they will “push something over the line this offseason.”

“I know we’ve had, what I would characterize as, productive dialogue with other teams throughout the offseason,” Stearns added later. “We’ve lined up on one trade, and so far we haven’t lined up on others. But I think ultimately we will line up on more.”

Kodai Senga update 

“Kodai has had an outstanding offseason,” Stearns said when asked about the right-hander, which he called “the most encouraging development we’ve had in terms of our offseason player progression.”

Senga is coming off an up-and-down season that saw him start off the year very well, pitching to a 1.47 ERA in his first 73.2 innings, only to suffer a hamstring injury and then struggle, posting a 5.90 ERA over his final 39.2 innings, before he was demoted to Triple-A. 

“He feels great, he feels as good physically as he has since that 2023 season. He’s going through his normal offseason routine. He’s actually gonna come over to the States at the end of the month and throw here, as well, which I think is a great sign.

“We’re very encouraged about how Kodai is progressing through the offseason.”

As the MLB Winter Meetings roll on in Orlando, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns met with members of the media to discuss where things currently stand with his club.

Of course, starting pitching has been a hot-button topic for the Mets following a 2025 season that went downhill, in part, due to a starting rotation that simply couldn’t deliver enough innings, whether it was due to injuries or ineffectiveness. 

Ask if the Mets would like to add a starter, Stearns said that while the club is certainly keeping all options open, they do have a talented group of young pitchers waiting in the wings.

While Nolan McLean firmly established himself as a part of the 2026 rotation and beyond thanks to his 2.06 ERA over the course of eight major league starts, Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong could be in line for some more minor league seasoning before becoming full-time members of the Mets’ starting staff.

“I think we’d like to be able to add a starter. We are also really comfortable and like our young starters who are emerging,” Stearns said. “We saw that last year with Nolan McLean. But certainly we’re going to be canvassing where we can to bring in a starting pitcher and help stabilize the staff.”

Outside of the trio of McLean, Sproat, and Tong, the Mets also have names like Jonathan Santucci and Jack Wenniger, among others, who could potentially make an impact in 2026. And that doesn’t even include Christian Scott, who Stearns said should come into spring training without limitations following Tommy John surgery in late 2024.

“I think sometimes we often equate youth with unpredictability. I think young starting pitchers have a pretty good history in this league, especially of late, especially when they have certain stuff packages, of coming up to the big leagues and having success,” Stearns said. “Doesn’t mean we’re going to count on a staff exclusively of young starters, but certainly over the course of the year, we are going to expect significant contributions from a group that we think is really talented and about to get to the major league level.”

Throughout the early parts of the offseason, the Mets have been linked to big-name starting pitchers who could be on the move, either through trades or free agency, such as Tarik Skubal, Freddy Peralta, Michael King, and others.

So if the Mets were in a hypothetical playoff series right now, is the team’s Game 1 starter currently on the roster?

“I don’t know. I don’t think we’ll know that until we get much further along in the offseason and until we get to spring training,” Stearns said. “I also think that often times on opening day, the person you thought was the No. 1 starter in a playoff series, you actually get to the playoff series and it’s someone else. We lived that couple of years ago. I think even really good teams that go on and win a World Series like the Dodgers can live that over the course of a season. I’m less preoccupied by thinking about who is going to start Game 1 of a playoff series than I am about making the transactions that put the best possible team on the field that we can do.”

“You always want more ceiling,” Stearns added. “Do I think we need more ceiling? I don’t think I’d go that far, but you always want more ceiling.”