The Yankees selected right-handed pitcher Cade Winquest from the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round of the 2025 Rule 5 Draft.
The selection came as a bit of a surprise, as the Yankees had not made a Rule 5 selection since 2011.
Winquest, 25, was originally drafted by the Cardinals in the eighth round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
Over the course of 58 minor league games (38 starts), Winquest has pitched to a 4.19 ERA with 219 strikeouts in 212.2 innings.
Winquest finished the 2025 season at the Double-A level, appearing in eight games for Springfield with a 3.19 ERA in 42.1 innings.
By rule, Winquest must remain on the Yankees’ 26-man active roster (unless he gets placed on the IL) for the entire 2026 season. If the Yankees elect to waive him and he clears waivers, Winquest must be offered back to the Cardinals.
The Orioles have captured a Polar Bear. After missing out on their bid to land free agent slugger Kyle Schwarber on Tuesday, the O's turned their attention to the next best bopper on the open market on Wednesday — agreeing to a five-year, $155 million contract with former Mets' first baseman Pete Alonso.
BREAKING: First baseman Pete Alonso and the Baltimore Orioles are finalizing a five-year, $155 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Alonso leaves the Mets to make a loaded AL East even better.
Alonso becomes the second Mets' star to leave in as many days after Edwin Díaz inked a three-year, $69 million pact with the Dodgers on Tuesday evening.
The agreement — which is still pending a physical — does not include any opt-outs or deferred money according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com.
Pete Alonso's five-year, $155 million deal with Baltimore includes no opt-outs and no deferrals, a source says.
Last offseason, the 31-year-old slugger hit the free agent market for the first time, hoping to land a highly lucrative multi-year deal. He was coming off of a down year though in which he posted a career-worst .788 OPS and was also tied to draft pick compensation after the Mets extended him a qualifying offer. He languished on the free agent market for months before ultimately re-signing with the Mets on a modest two-year, $54 million deal with an opt-out after the 2025 season.
Whether or not that experience gave Alonso any additional motivation heading into the 2025 season can be debated. What can't be debated is that he was an absolute monster at the dish. He slashed .272/.347/.524 with 38 home runs and 126 RBI in a career-high 709 plate appearances, making his fourth consecutive National League All-Star squad and winning his first Silver Slugger award while finishing 11th in the MVP voting.
Naturally, after a season like that, Alonso opted out of the final year of his contract with the Mets and chose to hit the free agent market once again.
Alonso took his marketing campaign into his own hands this week, choosing to attend the winter meetings himself to meet with interested teams. Apparently, his meeting with the Orioles went well. They had offered a five-year, $150 million contract to Schwarber on Tuesday before he ultimately re-signed with the Phillies. The Orioles then took that money and offered it to Alonso to add some much-needed right-handed thump to the middle of their lineup.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post confirmed afterwards that the Mets never made a formal offer to Alonso this offseason after they heard rumblings of where his market was headed. He notes that they were reluctant to give him a contract of more than three years.
Source: The Mets never made an offer as it became clear to them that Alonso was getting bids for more dollars and years than in their comfort zone. https://t.co/Iyy2eI3GBo
So how is Alonso's fantasy value impacted by the move from the Mets to the Orioles? Let's take a look.
Alonso has such prestigious power that no ballpark can hold him. He ranked in the 96th percentile or better in average exit velocity, hard-hit rate and barrel rate in 2025. The change in venue shouldn't cause any sort of negative impact — especially since the Orioles moved their left field wall back in and lowered its height before the 2025 season.
Citi Field still ranks as a much better park for right-handed power than Oriole Park at Camden Yards does, that doesn't take into account the natural raw power that Alonso possesses. He slugged 38 home runs during the 2025 season. His expected home runs by ballpark pegged him for just 36 at Citi Field, though he would have had an expected 45 in Baltimore. He should be just fine.
The only place that I'm anticipating a potential change in his projection for the 2026 season is in the RBI department. Alonso has always had a knack for driving in runs, having eclipsed the 100-RBI plateau in four of his six full seasons and never finishing with fewer than 88. There's something to be said about having Juan Soto and his league-leading .396 on-base percentage hitting ahead of you though — along with Francisco Lindor as a table-setter atop the lineup. Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg posted OBP's of .314 and .313 in 2025 while Gunnar Henderson checked in at .349. There's always a chance that those young players take major leaps forward in 2026, but it's not a bold take to say that Alonso is likely to have fewer RBI opportunities presented to him in his first season with the Orioles.
You also never know how a player is going to adjust to new surroundings. Alonso has spent his entire career with the Mets and is coming off of a season in which he had extra motivation to produce at the plate after a miserable experience on the free agent market following the 2024 season. We have seen plenty of players over the years struggle in their first season with a new club or see their production tail off a bit after landing such a massive contract, as the pressure to perform to get that deal has been removed. That's not to say that I expect either of those things to happen to Alonso in 2026, it's just something that fantasy managers should keep in mind.
Prior to this news, Alonso was coming off of draft boards on average at pick 28, making him the third first baseman off the board behind only Nick Kurtz and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. I anticipate that his draft stock will stay pretty static, as this move really doesn't change much for him overall.
I would expect a regression in batting average after hitting a career-best .272 in 2025 partially influenced by a career-high .305 BABIP. You're not drafting Alonso for his batting average though, you're drafting him because he's one of the safest and most secure power options in the game. He should have no problem once again clubbing around 40 home runs and driving in at least 100 runs. He only provides three categories of production, but those three categories are so good and reliable that it makes him worthy of a pick at the end of the second or beginning of the third round in fantasy baseball drafts.
Pete Alonso, left, with Francisco Lindor at the end of last season. Photograph: Lynne Sladky/AP
For the second day in a row, the New York Mets have seen a beloved star agree to terms with another team.
Pete Alonso, the Mets’ all-time leader in home runs, has reportedly agreed to a five-year, $155m contract with the Baltimore Orioles. The news comes a day after the Mets’ long-term closer, Edwin Díaz, reached a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 31-year-old slugger had been unable to find a long-term deal last season and returned to the Mets on a shorter contract, which he opted out of after this year’s World Series. While the Mets were interested in re-signing him they reportedly never made an offer once other teams were willing to offer longer, more valuable deals to the the first baseman.
Alonso has spent his entire MLB career with the Mets, and last season broke Darryl Strawberry’s franchise record for home runs. He ends his Mets career with 264 home runs. He was also incredibly popular with the team’s fans due to his good-nature and power, earning the nickname Polar Bear. The Mets also lost another long-term popular player, Brandon Nimmo, last month in a trade with the Texas Rangers.
Alonso had one of the best offensive seasons of his career in 2025 – he hit .272 with 38 home runs and 126 RBIs – but there are concerns about his defense, a weak point for the Mets, and base running, and the Mets appeared reluctant to give him a multi-year deal when they have already have Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor on expensive, long-term contracts.
Over his Mets career, Alonso hit .253 with 264 home runs and 712 RBIs and an OPS of .857. He was the NL rookie of the year in 2019, when he hit 53 home runs, and a five-time All Star.
Alonso joins an Orioles team that finished last in the AL East last season, although they have several young stars such as Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday.
BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles agreed to a $155 million, five-year deal with slugger Pete Alonso, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical.
It’s a major move for a Baltimore team that vowed to be aggressive following a last-place finish. Alonso hit .272 with 38 home runs and 126 RBIs this year for the New York Mets, posting an .871 OPS that was his highest since he hit 53 home runs as a rookie in 2019.
Alonso, who turned 31 on Sunday, hit 264 homers over seven seasons with the Mets. He’s earned All-Star honors five times, including each of the past four years.
Nicknamed the Polar Bear, Alonso became a Citi Field fan favorite as a home-grown member of the Mets. He was NL Rookie of the Year in 2019, when he hit .260 with a major league-high 53 homers — a rookie record — and 120 RBIs. He had a career-high 131 RBIs in 2022.
Alonso batted a career-low .217 in 2023 while hitting 46 homers and driving in 118 runs and hit .240 with 34 homers and 88 RBIs in 2024.
After a slow free agent market last winter, Alonso signed a $54 million, two-year contract to stay with the Mets, but he opted out of the final year of the deal.
Alonso met with teams at the winter meetings in Orlando, Florida.
“Pete lives in Tampa, it’s rather warm there,” his agent, Scott Boras, said Tuesday. “So the polar vortex of last year has kind of thawed. So the prior market — that prior bear market is exhausted.”
The offseason is picking up steam, and the Phillies continue to stay active — this time in the trade market.
The club has acquired right-handed pitching prospect Yoniel Curet from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for fellow right-hander Tommy McCollum, according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb.
Curet, 23, has had stretches of real success in Tampa Bay’s system since signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2019.
Over his first four professional seasons, the Rays’ No. 22 prospect (per MLB.com) made 81 appearances — 61 of them starts — and delivered a 2.96 ERA, 424 strikeouts across 316 innings, reaching Double-A.
His 2025 season took a step back. Command issues resurfaced, leading to a career-worst 1.43 WHIP and 31 walks in 62 innings. After a strong five-start run in Double-A (1.45 ERA), Curet was promoted to Triple-A, where the struggles were more pronounced: 21 earned runs in 31 1/3 innings with a 6.03 ERA and 1.92 WHIP.
Curet features a power arsenal that fits a bullpen projection. His five-pitch mix is anchored by a 96–98 mph sinker — graded a 70 on MLB Pipeline’s 20–80 scale — along with a cutter, four-seamer, changeup and slider.
The Phillies believe the swing-and-miss traits translate, and President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski noted that the club views Curet as a reliever and a depth piece as they continue shaping the 40-man roster.
Curet — now the Phillies’ No. 24 prospect on MLB.com — was designated for assignment by Tampa Bay earlier this week and has one Minor League option remaining.
McCollum, 26, has pitched all 165 of his professional games out of the bullpen. He owns a 3.42 ERA with 36 saves in 40 chances across five seasons since signing with the Phillies as an undrafted free agent out of Wingate University in 2021.
With potential bullpen adjustments coming in 2026, this move fits as an early step in reshaping the relief group, particularly in the middle innings.
Though the Giants have cautioned that they won’t spend wildly in MLB free agency, president of baseball operations Buster Posey could take a big swing in the trade market.
The Giants are one of five teams currently “in on” trading for Brewers right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with Milwaukee’s discussions. The addition instantly would upgrade San Francisco’s starting rotation.
Rosenthal and Sammon listed the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Houston Astros as other teams currently pursuing Peralta, while the New York Mets “are also believed to be interested.”
The 29-year-old Peralta is coming off his best MLB season. He posted a 17-6 record with a 2.70 earned run average in 33 starts, garnering his second career MLB All-Star selection and finishing fifth in the National League Cy Young Award voting. Due just $8 million in 2026, Peralta will be a free agent after the season.
The Giants, meanwhile, have made clear their aim to prioritize pitching this offseason. Aces Logan Webb and Robbie Ray will return, along with promising right-hander Landen Roupp, but there is an obvious need for at least one reliable starting arm. Peralta would more than fill that void, fresh off three consecutive 30-start campaigns.
As Rosenthal and Sammon report, however, there is plenty of competition and “no deal appears close. Talks are fluid, and the teams interested in Peralta are also exploring free agents and trades for other starting pitchers.”
The Mets are losing Pete Alonso to the Orioles, who are signing him to a five-year deal worth $155 million, per multiple reports. There are no opt-outs in the contract.
With Alonso and Diaz gone, they join former franchise cornerstone Brandon Nimmo as ex-Mets.
Nimmo was traded to the Rangers earlier this offseason for Marcus Semien.
The Mets had reportedly been unwilling to go beyond three years for Alonso, who gets the long-term deal he desired and couldn't get last offseason, when he returned to the Mets on a two-year deal that contained an option after the first season -- which he exercised upon the completion of the 2025 campaign.
With Alonso gone, the Mets have a massive hole to fill in a lineup that has already downgraded this offseason by dealing Nimmo for Semien.
Alonso served as vital protection for Juan Soto last season, with the burly right-hander slashing .272/.347/.524 with 38 home runs, a career-high 41 doubles, and 126 RBI.
During his seven-year career in New York, Alonso -- who broke the Mets' all-time home run record last season -- hit .253/.341/.516 with 264 home runs, 183 doubles, and 712 RBI over 1,008 games.
Aug 12, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) runs after hitting a two run home run to become the all time Mets franchise home run leader in the third inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. / Wendell Cruz - Imagn Images
Like Diaz, Alonso had repeatedly expressed a desire to stay.
But the Mets, under head of baseball operations David Stearns, are going in a different direction.
It is unclear how the Mets will attempt to fill the power void left by Alonso's departure.
They made a run at Kyle Schwarber, but he re-signed on a five-year deal with the Phillies on Tuesday.
The two biggest names remaining on the free agent market are Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger, but neither possess anything close to the game-changing power Alonso has. And they're both left-handed hitters.
Another option on the free agent market is Eugenio Suarez, who blasted 49 home runs last season. Suarez, a third baseman, could theoretically be used as a designated hitter.
When it comes to free agent first baseman, the Mets could conceivably turn to Japanese stars Munetaka Murakami or Kazuma Okamoto. Murakami has huge power but tons of swing and miss in his game, and is viewed as a poor defender. Okamoto is a strong defender, but does not provide nearly as much power potential as Okamoto.
The Mets' main in-house first base option is Mark Vientos, who is coming off a down offensive season and is relatively untested at the position.
Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, right, with his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. (Ashley Landis / Associated Press)
After 18 months of shopping the script, the proposed Lionsgate Television series based on the gambling scandal involving Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is in development at Starz.
The project will spotlight the audacious theft by Ippei Mizuhara of $16 million from Ohtani to pay off staggering gambling debts. Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers after the crimes came to light in March 2024. A year later, he was convicted of defrauding Ohtani in federal court and sentenced to 57 months in prison.
The series will be produced by Tony Award winner Scott Delman, known for “The Book of Mormon” and “A Raisin in the Sun,” and sports journalist Albert Chen. Alex Convery, who wrote "Air," is on board as showrunner and screenwriter while Justin Lin (the “Fast and Furious” franchise) will direct, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
“This is Major League Baseball’s biggest sports gambling scandal since Pete Rose — and at its center is its biggest star, one that MLB has hitched its wagon on,” Chen said in a statement to The Times. “We’ll get to the heart of the story — a story of trust, betrayal and the trappings of wealth and fame.”
Lionsgate was having trouble selling the project to companies with media rights agreements with Major League Baseball — Disney, Warner Bros., Discovery, Apple, Netflix and Comcast — because the companies didn't want to jeopardize their relationships with the league, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Lionsgate is the former parent company of Starz, but the two formally separated in May.
The story unquestionably is compelling. Mizuhara befriended Ohtani in Japan when the player who would become the most accomplished hitting and pitching combination in baseball history was an 18-year-old rookie with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Ohtani came to the United States in 2018 at age 23, signing with the Angels. Mizuhara soon became his most trusted friend and interpreter, serving as an intermediary between Ohtani and nearly everyone who spoke English, including the media, his agent and Angels officials.
Mizuhara arranged wire transfers from Ohtani’s bank account without the player's knowledge or permission and impersonated him during more than two dozen phone calls with bank employees, all to feed a gambling habit that accumulated $40 million in losses across thousands of bets.
Mizuhara allegedly collected $142 million in winnings but lost about $183 million.
Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700-million contract with the Dodgers in December 2023 and the scandal came to light three months later. Ohtani was absolved of wrongdoing and described as a victim by federal authorities.
“Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies,” Ohtani said through his new interpreter, Will Ireton, shortly after Mizuhara was arrested. “I never agreed to pay off the debt or make payments to the bookmaker.
“I’m just beyond shocked. It’s really hard to verbalize how I am feeling at this point.”
Ohtani quickly put the episode behind him, leading the Dodgers to World Series championships in 2024 and 2025. He was named National League Most Valuable Player both years.
On the final day of the Winter Meetings, the Rule 5 Draft wrapped up in Orlando.
As expected, the Phillies lost Griff McGarry — who they chose not to add to the 40-man roster on Nov. 18 — to the Nationals. Washington took the 26-year-old right-hander with the third pick in the Major League phase.
McGarry, a fifth-round pick out of the University of Virginia in 2021, is coming off one of his best pro seasons. He posted a 3.44 ERA across 21 starts, primarily at Double-A, and struck out 124 batters in 83 2/3 innings. According to MLB.com, his 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings ranked fourth in the Minors.
The Phillies were also active. With the 12th pick in the Major League phase, they selected another 26-year-old righty, Adam McCambley.
The New Jersey native spent five seasons in the Marlins’ system, bouncing between the rotation and bullpen. In his first two years as a starter, the 2020 third-rounder logged a 4.99 ERA over 39 starts. Since shifting primarily to relief, he’s posted a 3.23 ERA over 94 appearances across the past three seasons.
Like McGarry, McCambley is coming off a career year. He recorded a 2.90 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025, racking up 83 strikeouts over 62 innings. After walking 18 batters in 22 2/3 frames in 2024, he cut his walk rate by more than half to 3.2 walks per nine this past season.
His fastball sits 92–94 mph, and he generates heavy spin and movement on his slider, curveball and cutter, each eclipsing 3,000 rpm.
McCambley is now on the Phillies’ 40-man roster, as the 34th member.
In the Minor League phase, the Phillies added a pair of prospects. With the 24th selection, they took outfielder Austin Murr from the Tigers’ system. With the 42nd pick, they grabbed right-hander Evan Gates from the Giants.
Murr is coming off a strong year. In 72 games at High-A West Michigan, the 26-year-old slashed .280/.386/.451 with 26 extra-base hits and 43 RBIs. Power hasn’t been his calling card, but the former sixth-round pick has shown consistent plate discipline over five pro seasons, carrying a 192-to-275 walk-to-strikeout ratio.
Austin Murr – Credit: Jeff Lange (USA TODAY NETWORK)
Gates, 27, has worked exclusively out of the bullpen for San Francisco. Over 260 2/3 innings in five seasons, he owns a 3.52 ERA with 307 strikeouts and 113 walks.
The lone Phillie lost in the Minor League phase was catcher Carson Taylor, who went to Seattle. The Phillies originally selected Taylor two winters ago in the Rule 5 Draft from the Dodgers. He hit 16 homers in his first season with the organization in 2024 before a right labrum tear ended his 2025 campaign.
One notable name who will be staying put is 6-foot-4 outfielder Felix Reyes. The 24-year-old returns after winning the Eastern League batting title, hitting .335 in 95 games for Double-A Reading.
The Boston Red Sox entered the offseason in need of at least one middle-of-the-order bat. Nothing they’ve done so far this winter suggests they’re serious about addressing that void.
The real gut punch came Wednesday. Not only did the Red Sox miss out on slugging first baseman Pete Alonso, but they will also have to see him in the American League East for the foreseeable future. The biggest bat on the market joined the Orioles on a five-year, $155 million deal, and the Red Sox’ offer reportedly wasn’t in the same stratosphere.
Boston whiffed on Alonso two days after chief baseball officer Craig Breslow made this remark at the MLB Winter Meetings:
“I think that the true middle-of-the-order bat that can hit the ball out of the park, has probably an outsized impact on the rest of the lineup because of the way you have to attack someone — the on-base implications it can have,” he said. “And so, again, we’re going to consider all ways of improving the team, but finding someone in the middle of the order and who hits the ball out of the park is a really good place to start.”
Alonso was widely considered the perfect fit for Boston. The five-time All-Star has been one of the premier power hitters in baseball for the last seven years. His right-handed pop would have paired perfectly with Fenway Park, especially in a Red Sox lineup loaded with left-handed bats.
So, now what?
Turning to the trade market
With Schwarber and Alonso off the board, Boston must get creative to add legitimate power to the lineup. Re-signing Alex Bregman alone won’t cut it, and with an underwhelming free-agent class, Breslow and Co. will likely have to explore the trade market to add anyone worth getting excited about.
One intriguing possibility is Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte. The three-time All-Star has recently been linked to the Red Sox in trade rumors, though it will take a significant haul to land him. Arizona is reportedly looking for young, big-league-ready starting pitching in return. Marte signed a six-year, $116.5 million extension with the D’backs last April.
Another name that moves the needle? Corey Seager. Boston has had talks with the Texas Rangers about a potential deal for the five-time All-Star shortstop, according to The Boston Globe. Acquiring Seager seems less likely than Marte, given that the two-time World Series MVP is owed $31 million in each of the next six seasons. Plus, Seager has almost exclusively played shortstop throughout his 11-year career, so either Trevor Story would have to move to second base, or Seager would have to adjust to second or third.
Houston Astros infielder Isaac Paredes and St. Louis Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan are also on the Red Sox’ reported list of trade targets. While both would be solid additions, neither would be enough to say Boston made the necessary upgrades to its lackluster offense.
Free-agent alternatives
There’s still a chance for Breslow to add power via free agency. Shortstop Bo Bichette and third baseman/DH Eugenio Suarez are the two most appealing options, though both come with caveats.
Bichette is largely considered an alternative to Bregman; otherwise, he’d have to move to second base. Suarez will turn 35 in July and is a defensive liability at third base, though he could move to first or serve as the Red Sox’ designated hitter.
In conclusion
Boston can still salvage what already feels like a disappointing offseason. The most likely path involves parting ways with promising young pitchers, such as left-handers Connelly Early or Payton Tolle, when all principal owner John Henry really had to do was open his wallet.
Boston’s unwillingness to offer competitive deals for Schwarber or Alonso proves that returning to the postseason wasn’t enough to convince Red Sox brass to act like a big-market organization. That’s a discouraging sign for the team’s 2026 chances, and it should infuriate fans who bought back in on the club during the 2025 campaign.
With Kyle Schwarber coming off the board on Tuesday when he signed a five-year deal to stay with the Philadelphia Phillies, the industry expectation became that the position player market would start to move.
Former Houston Astro and Chicago Cub Kyle Tucker is the biggest name still the open market, and both New York teams have reportedly checked in on the outfielder.
Tucker, 28, was an All-Star for the Cubs in 2025 (his fourth straight All-Star selection), posting a 143 OPS+ with 22 home runs, 73 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. He has a career OPS of .865 and would provide an elite, left-handed bat to whichever teams he signs with.
From a Mets perspective, Tucker would have provided some needed thump in the lineup, but they’d likely need to do some outfield shuffling, as Tucker has almost exclusively been a right fielder in his career (639 games in right, 72 games in left). The Mets would likely move Juan Soto to left field if they were to sign Tucker.
The Yankees have a similar situation in the outfield. Trent Grisham is likely locked in to center field, meaning Aaron Judge would stick in right. Tucker would likely need to play left field for the Bombers, as moving Judge to left doesn’t seem to be on the table.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman has said that the team would "love" to bring back outfielder Cody Bellinger, who has proven he can perform in the Bronx and is a more natural fit in left field (plus has the versatility to play first base). But Tucker would certainly be an enticing option as well.
Watson was selected sixth overall by the A’s on Wednesday in the MLB Rule 5 Draft from the San Francisco Giants.
Riemer, 23, was selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2023 draft. He played in 76 games with Boston’s High-A affiliate and six for the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs.
He plays multiple positions, but profiles long-term as a second baseman according to Cotillo.
The A’s acquired three other right-handed pitchers in the Rule 5 draft: Abel Mercedes, Darlin Pinales and Jorge Marcheco.
The A’s, however, lost two catchers to the draft: 2022 first-round pick Daniel Susac and Abrahan Gutierrez.
General manager David Forst thinks highly of Susac, but with catchers Shea Langeliers and Austin Wynns with firmly cemented roles on the major league team, the A’s left their former first-round pick unprotected for the Rule 5 draft.
“The catch-and-throw skills have gotten a lot better,” Forst said. “He may be challenged offensively. Vegas has a way of helping some guys’ numbers, but that’s the case with anybody in this situation. The bat will determine probably if he’s able to stick or not.
“He has a chance to be in a good situation and they can get him good matchups and that’s when it does work out for guys, is when they have a specific role and fill it.”
There was universal shock on Tuesday after news broke that Edwin Diaz was leaving the Mets to sign a three-year deal with the Dodgers.
And that shock was not only felt by blindsided Mets fans, but by those in the industry who didn't see this coming and spent all afternoon trying to make sense of it in print and on video.
It was one thing that the Mets had lost Diaz, which was always a possibility, even though it felt remote. That they lost him on a three-year deal was bewildering. That they lost him on a three-year deal to the team they'll have to go through if they want to win a World Series was almost impossible to believe.
But here we are.
As far as what happened at the end of the process between the Mets and Diaz, that doesn't really matter. What matters is that they lost a negotiation for a player they wanted and needed, and also happened to be beloved by the fans.
With there being no indication that Diaz did not want to be a Met -- as alluring as the Dodgers are -- him leaving was truly puzzling.
The Mets needed to get it done, and didn't.
The loss of Diaz understandably dismayed and disoriented a fan base that was already reeling from the slow collapse that was the 2025 season -- one that resulted in an apology from owner Steve Cohen and candid self-reflection from president of baseball operations David Stearns.
With the backdrop of Diaz leaving amid a so-far-underwhelming offseason, I thought back to this quote that Stearns gave on Sept. 29 in his end-of-season news conference:
"I think on a number of levels there are areas where we can probably be a little more proactive," he said. "And I can be a little more proactive. I think some of these lessons we're still investigating and still fully understanding various aspects of our team. But there are clearly times in the season, times over the offseason, where I can be a little bit more proactive."
David Stearns and Steve Cohen / Imagn Images / SNY treated art
You can say the Mets were proactive earlier this offseason while signing Devin Williams to give themselves cover in the event Diaz left. Aside from that? Not so much.
They are reportedly not inclined to offer what it takes to land any of the top free agent pitchers on the market.
As far as trades -- and this could very well change in the coming days -- they have yet to display the willingness to deal what it takes to land a difference-maker.
When it comes to Diaz, you can throw fan sentiment out the window regarding how the Mets were calculating this. That's because doing what it took to bring him back should've been an obvious baseball move. His return thrilling the fans would've been a bonus.
With Diaz gone, the attention now turns to Alonso.
And it can be argued that Alonso is an even more obvious baseball decision than Diaz should've been.
That's because, in the case of Diaz, the Mets protected themselves by signing Williams. And they can further bolster the bullpen by signing a late-inning arm like Robert Suarez or Pete Fairbanks, or trading for someone like Trevor Megill.
If Alonso leaves, where are the Mets turning for the power needed to protect Juan Soto?
New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) rounds the bases after hitting a home run at Citi Field / Brad Penner - Imagn Images
It won't be Kyle Schwarber, whom the Mets were seriously interested in before he re-signed with the Phillies on Tuesday on a five-year deal.
You can talk about free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger as something of a replacement for Alonso in the lineup, but you won't be taken seriously if you do. That's because he doesn't come close to providing the power that Alonso does. And his offensive production has varied wildly from year to year.
As the Mets weigh how to proceed with Alonso, it's worth noting that In addition to Diaz, the club has also moved on from Brandon Nimmo this offseason. Trading Nimmo was reasonable, given his regression offensively and defensively, and the fact that there were five years remaining on his contract.
Losing Diaz was not understandable, and using the same tactic with Alonso that they used with Diaz is something the Mets can't afford to do.
That's not to say that they should hand Alonso a blank check.
If some team offers him six or seven years, it will be well within New York's right to walk away. But if this comes down to moving off their reported uncomfortability with extending to a fourth year, they should budge. And going to five years for Alonso -- if that's what the market bears -- would not be a crazy thing to do if needed.
You cannot let fan sentiment dictate what you do, but it has to be a factor. And if keeping a player is smart baseball-wise, the Mets should go the extra mile when those players want to stay and are loved by the fans. They should also make an effort to show those players how wanted they are, perhaps at times letting that break through the cold business of negotiations.
Something that Tony Vitello doesn’t lack is personality. The Giants’ new manager was on brand when asked about the current state of the NL West at the MLB Winter Meetings on Tuesday in Orlando.
“These are the best players in the world,” Vitello explained. “With some of these big market teams or teams that are spending a lot of money, a lot of them are lumped together on one roster.”
Vitello was referring to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who always are near the top when it comes to spending. Vitello also mentioned an NL East team.
“With the teams in our division, or that are out there in general”, Vitello continued. “I don’t know what you’re supposed to say or not, sounds like the [Philadelphia] Phillies got better today.”
Kyle Schwarber officially signed a five-year contract worth $150 million to stay with Philadelphia on Tuesday. No matter who Vitello is up against, his goal remains the same.
“I think I want to do a good job,” Vitello said. “That’s always been my criteria. I think I’ve formulated it over the years, especially following my dad’s teams. With all due respect to him, I don’t think he could even effect what my opinion is of a good job, so that’s kind of what I’m going to hold myself to. I think if I am doing that, I’m helping in some form or fashion, but the players are the ones out on the field. There’s a whole group of people who’re going to be working to make the organization a winning one.”
San Francisco finished at an even .500 last season, which put them in third place in the NL West. Vitello is extremely direct about his goals for the year.
“Whether you want to call it making the playoffs or having success there,” Vitello continued. “Or coming close or having a better record than last year, I’ve never been a part of a big league season, so we’ll see. I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on here at both hotels we’re occupying.”
Vitello’s mindset is clear, day by day.
“Day in and day out, you have to compete against, and if you want to have success, beat, the best players in the world,” Vitello concluded. “As I said, the trend in all pro sports is a lot of them are now lumped together. The cliche is, ‘You’re going to have to beat the best,’ but at the end of the day, having success against those teams can come as a group as opposed to matching up man for man.”
The Giants made a huge splash before the trade deadline last season, and could look to improve the roster again throughout the offseason.
