Category: Baseball

There are generally two trains of thought that have emerged since the Mets traded outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers last month.

The first is that with a corner outfield spot now open, New York is suddenly in position to pursue one of the biggest outfielders available -- whether they do it via free agency or trade.

The second is that since the Mets just created flexibility, they won't necessarily be in a rush to add another potentially big contract right back on the books in the same position -- especially with Carson Benge almost ready for the majors. 

The reality is more nuanced.

Yes, it's fair to wonder if the Mets will go full bore after someone like Kyle Tucker so soon after trading Nimmo.

But it's also reasonable to believe the Mets didn't move on from Nimmo because they didn't want a long deal for any left fielder on their books. They moved on from Nimmo because they didn't believe he was the right fit anymore as he approaches his age-33 season. 

Nimmo's defense had regressed to the point where an issue was developing with New York's overall outfield defense -- which has Juan Sotoin the other outfield corner. And Nimmo's offense, while still above average, has also regressed.

Could the Mets go internal with Benge in left field and Tyrone Taylor in center field? Sure. 

But they could also dive head first into the outfield market. 

Here are the free agent outfielders they should be targeting, ranked...

5. Harrison Bader

Bader had a very good year at the plate for the Twins and Phillies in 2025, hitting .277/.347/.449 with 17 home runs and 24 doubles in 146 games.

He was especially strong for Philadelphia down the stretch after being acquired at the trade deadline, posting an .824 OPS in 50 games. 

Bader was also elite defensively, worth seven Outs Above Average (in the 92nd percentile).

For the Mets, a reunion with Bader would give them a center fielder with pop and likely result in Taylor being a fourth outfielder -- a role he's better suited for than starting. 

4. Adolis Garcia

The free agent crop of outfielders is not deep, nor is it very impressive beyond the top two. That's one of the reasons Garcia, who has struggled badly the last two seasons, is on this list. And he's only available because he was recently non-tendered by the Rangers. 

Offensively, Garcia still hits the ball very hard -- his average exit velocity was in the 89th percentile this past season. But his other advanced offensive metrics were ugly. 

He provides serious value elsewhere, though.

Garcia is a strong base runner, is an above average outfielder when it comes to range, and has one of the best arms in baseball.

If the Mets think Garcia's bat can bounce back, he could make sense as a low-risk. high-reward move. 

3. Rob Refsnyder

SNY contributor Joe DeMayo recently mentioned Refsnyder as one of the better under-the-radar options for the Mets this offseason.

And if he's paired with a left-handed hitting platoon partner, Refsnyder could be a nice fit.

For the Red Sox this past season, Refsnyder mashed left-handed pitching, slashing .302/.399/.560 in 138 plate appearances.

Defensively, Refsnyder's range was a tick below average, but his arm continued to be a strength. 

Now, a caveat: In a world where the Mets sign Garcia, Bader, or Refsnyder as a main outfield move, it would have to be in conjunction with big swings elsewhere on the roster -- at first base, designated hitter, and/or third base. 

2. Kyle Tucker

The most impactful offensive player available via free agency this offseason, Tucker is expected to get a deal worth more than $300 million.

A relatively young star (he'll be entering his age-29 season in 2026) who controls the strike zone at an elite level and whose Baseball Savant page lights up red, Tucker is coming off an uneven season with the Cubs that was interrupted by a fractured hand.

But even in a relatively down year, Tucker posted an OPS+ of 143.

Inking Tucker would add a third megadeal to New York's books to go along with the ones given to Soto and Francisco Lindor. But Tucker is a special offensive player still in his prime whose addition would take New York's lineup to another level.

Tucker hasn't played left field since 2020, so the Mets would need him or Soto to shift to left field in the event a deal is struck.

1. Cody Bellinger

Numerous reports have linked the Mets to Bellinger, a versatile player the Yankees have spoken about wanting to retain.

For the Mets, Bellinger could fit snugly in left field, where he spent the majority of his time last season.

An elite defender, Bellinger can also play right field (if the Mets explored a move of Soto to left) and first base.

Offensively, Bellinger has put his poor 2021 and 2022 campaigns behind him, settling in as an above average performer -- though he hasn't come close to the height he reached for the Dodgers during his 2019 MVP campaign. Still, what Bellinger provides on both sides of the ball has immense value.

Over the last three seasons for the Cubs and Yanks, Bellinger has slashed .281/.338/.477 (.815 OPS). He's also been reliable, playing 130 games or more in every full season of his nine-year career except one. 

Right after the Mets signed Devin Williams to a three-year deal worth $51 million on Monday night, the attention turned to what the acquisition of the elite late-inning reliever meant for the future of free agent Edwin Diaz.

The answer?

The Mets are still in on Diaz, SNY's Andy Martino reported shortly after Williams agreed to move from the Bronx to Queens. 

If the Mets are able to retain Diaz, it will give them an elite 1-2 punch at the end of games, with Williams setting up (a role he excelled in for a large part of his time with the Brewers) and Diaz closing. 

Per Will Sammon of The Athletic, Diaz is seeking a five-year deal, with the Mets' preference being a contract for three years or so.

It's fair to believe a compromise at four years is possible -- especially with Williams (who profiles as a setup man if Diaz is retained) already getting three.

In addition to the Mets, multiple reports have linked the Dodgers and Blue Jays to Diaz.

As it pertains to the Dodgers' interest, Martino noted on Monday that the talk at last month's GM Meetings was that Los Angeles could be reluctant to offer a significant amount of years to Diaz.

The Blue Jays, who already have closer Jeff Hoffman, have recently been linked to free agent Pete Fairbanks -- who would likely cost significantly less than Diaz. 

Some have speculated that the Yankees could also be interested in Diaz, though there hasn't been any recent reporting linking them.

Diaz has repeatedly discussed his affinity for the Mets organization, and Stearns has said multiple times this offseason that he would "love" to retain both Diaz and fellow free agent Pete Alonso.

Whether Diaz returns remains to be seen, but the door remains very much open despite the signing of Williams. 

Giants reportedly among teams checking in on free agent Kyle Schwarber originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Kyle Schwarber is one of the hottest bats to hit the free-agent market this MLB offseason. 

The Giants are among the list of teams that have checked in on the left-handed slugger, per MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. 

The Giants are among the teams that have checked in on Kyle Schwarber, as I just reported on @MLBNetwork.

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 2, 2025

Adding another left-handed power hitter to go along with Rafael Devers is one of the many offseason needs for San Francisco’s roster. Schwarber fits the bill. 

Schwarber spent the previous four seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies. He played in all 162 regular-season games, leading the National League with 56 home runs while also leading MLB with 132 runs batted in.  

He served as the Phillies’ designated hitter in 154 games and started in left field for the other eight. 

Schwarber has hit at least 32 home runs in his previous five seasons. For the Giants, Willy Adames is the only player to reach 30 home runs in a season since 2004. 

In 2022, Schwarber and the Phillies agreed to a four-year, $79 million deal. His market value is just shy of $25 million per year, according to Spotrac. 

As expected, many teams are showing interest in Schwarber. Although Schwarber may find a new home come spring, re-signing with Philadelphia is not out of the picture. 

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In some ways, the Mets’ signing of Devin Williams feels a lot like the trade of Brandon Nimmo. 

That is, it all depends on what else David Stearns does next. 

In this case, it’s simple: if Stearns still re-signs Edwin Diaz, then the addition of Williams as a set-up man is a strong move, giving the Mets an elite late-inning bullpen duo that further demonstrates Stearns’ commitment to run prevention. 

However, if locking up Williams to a three-deal turns out to be a cheaper alternative to Diaz as the closer, it weakens a bullpen that failed the Mets badly in the heat of their wild-card chase last season and makes the former Milwaukee Brewer reliever’s difficult adjustment to the Bronx last year much more relevant. 

With that in mind, a source told me late Monday night the Mets are still hoping to re-sign Diaz. But at what price is now the great unknown.

Indeed, it remains to be seen if the Williams signing, three years for $45 million, was a move made at least partly to give the Mets insurance against a bidding war for Diaz, allowing them to draw a line they won’t cross if they feel the cost is prohibitive.

And certainly there’s an argument to be made about not overspending on their veteran closer if it takes a five-year deal to retain him, considering both the volatility of bullpen arms and Diaz’s age, as he turns 32 in March. 

Yet, Diaz has been more consistently dominant for the last few years than most closers, and more to the point, he’s vitally important to the Mets. 

Eventually, then, we’ll find out just where Stearns stands on all of this. Will his value-seeking instincts rule the day or will this prove to be part of his big-boy plan this winter, a Williams-Diaz combo offering proof he is all-in on building a championship pitching staff, top to bottom?

If it’s the former, and Diaz goes elsewhere, it would also raise the question of whether Stearns’ belief in Williams is influenced too heavily by their days together in Milwaukee, when the right-hander was one of the best relievers in baseball for a few years. 

Williams fought through his struggles with the Yankees, which overwhelmed him early and resurfaced at times during the season, to finish strong, delivering nine straight scoreless appearances in September and then four more in the postseason. 

Still, the right-hander also has a huge postseason failure on his resume, that being Pete Alonso’s memorable home run to stun the Brewers in the deciding game of the 2024 wild-card series. 

So there are questions about his ability to deal with pressure, to be sure. 

Clearly, Williams was affected mentally by the expectations of closing for the Yankees last season, unable to command his famous “air-bender” change-up that made him mostly unhittable in Milwaukee.

And even with his strong finish, it’s fair to wonder how he’d react to the burden of taking over for Diaz, with similarly huge expectations.

“It would be a leap of faith to think some of those issues he had last year wouldn’t re-surface if he’s asked to close for the Mets,” one MLB scout told me Monday night. “You could tell by looking at him on the mound at times that he was tight, and it showed up in his pitches. 

“There were a lot of nights when he was yanking the fastball (inside on lefties, outside to right-handed hitters), and he was gripping the change-up so tight that the action wasn’t there on it. That’s what pressure does to pitchers. 

“I give him credit because he did look a lot more like himself late in the year. But if I’m the Mets, I’d feel a lot better about him in the set-up role, with Diaz as a security blanket.”

This, of course, is the nature of the baseball off-season. It moves at a glacial pace, so it could be weeks before we’ll know what that role will be for Williams. 

Meanwhile, Mets fans wait anxiously for an outcome. Many have lost their patience with Stearns after last season, convinced that he is making decisions for the Mets at least partly with the mentality of a small-market GM, as he had to with the Brewers. 

Fair or not, that hangs over him in an offseason in which big changes are needed after the Mets flamed out last year in embarrassing fashion. 

So far, his two moves, trading Nimmo for Marcus Semien and now signing Williams, have opened the door to the possibility of a home run of an offseason. 

But that would take re-signing Alonso and Diaz, then essentially replacing Nimmo with Cody Bellinger, and upgrading the starting rotation with a couple of front-of-the-rotation starters. 

Make all of those moves and Stearns will be the toast of the town. 

Until then, well, to quote the great Tom Petty, the waiting is the hardest part.

Devin Williams won’t have to travel far to get to his new home ballpark.

The former Yankees reliever officially signed with the Mets on Wednesday, two days after news of the deal was first reported by Will Sammon of The Athletic.

The contract is for three years and guarantees more than $50 million, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan, who added that the deal does not include opt-outs or options.

“Devin is a dynamic pitcher who will help bolster the back of the bullpen,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said in a press release. “He is an experienced arm with a proven track record pitching in high-leverage situations. We are excited to welcome Devin and his family to Queens.”

For the Mets, signing Williams does not take them out of the market for closer Edwin Diaz, according to SNY's MLB Insider Andy Martino.

But with Diaz still being a free agent, adding the 31-year-old gives New York a versatile reliever who can be used either as a setup man if Diaz returns or as a closer, as he has 86 career saves to his name.

A seven-year major league veteran, Williams broke onto the scene with the Milwaukee Brewers, using his “airbender” changeup to lead the way to two All-Star appearances, two Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year Awards (2020 and 2023), and the 2020 National League Rookie of the Year Award. In six seasons with the Brewers, Williams pitched to a 1.83 ERA.

Williams was traded to the Yankees ahead of the 2025 season, and his lone campaign in the Bronx did not live up to expectations. Williams lost the closer's role and ended up pitching to a 4.79 ERA over 62.0 innings of work. 

But given Williams’ impressive resume, there’s plenty of reason to believe he can bounce back to the dominant, sub-2.00 ERA reliever he was with Milwaukee, where Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was able to watch first-hand as the right-hander developed into one of the best relievers in baseball.  

Jose Castillo is heading overseas. 

The lefty is signing with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the NPB after being non-tendered by the Mets last month. 

Castillo saw action with four big-league teams last year, but never quite stuck. 

He did three different stints in the Big Apple, the last of which was when he was claimed from the Orioles last month.

With the 29-year-old out of minor league options, though, the Mets decided to let him hit free agency rather than paying him the $1.7 million he was projected to earn in arbitration. 

Castillo's command remained an issue at times last season, but he did a good job limiting the damage, pitching to a 2.35 ERA across his 16 appearances in orange and blue.

Overall, he posted a 4.98 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in 29 outings on the season. 

He'll look to try his luck over in Japan next year. 

Alan Greenberg has been watching the Rangers – dating back to The Original Six era – and writing well about The Game for decades. Visiting from Florida, he attended the Blueshirts-Bolts game the other night. 

If you care about your beloved Blueshirts you should take heed of Greenberg's views.

"I agree with Sean Avery's comments that the Rangers 'lack toughness.'  Specifically, the hit on Adam Fox (he's out for months) brought no retaliation from the home team. Allowing that hit to go unpunished, violates every hockey rule."

Like others who witnessed the game either in person or on TV, Al was appalled by the Blueshirts "effort," or lack of it, as the case may be.

"The team looks so unmotivated," he adds.

Which brings us to this point which is that both coach Mike Sullivan and captain J.T. Miller should be the prime motivator. The hire of Sully, in particular, bothers Greenberg; as it annoys me.

"Sullivan is an excellent coach with a cushy contract, but is he the right coach for this team?" Al logically asks and then answers. "I said that the Rangers needed a younger voice to relate to the youngsters. A good example is Spencer Carbery who took the Capitals to the top."

After watching the one-sided loss to Tampa Bay, Greenberg visited the Rangers dressing room where Miller, Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad were interviewed. 

Oh, Woe, Is The Blueshirts?The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers">Rangers</a> were so bad losing to Tampa Bay that The Maven felt obliged to cheer saddened Blueshirt fans with a joke but then I realized that this is no time for comedy.

Greenberg: "I could hear the frustration in their voices and see the frustration in their body language. When I see only the veterans allowed to speak, it's 'damage control.' They know how to choose their words."

I go back to Allan (Associated Press) Kreda's reaction to the Rangers' reaction. "A collective shrug."

Why worry? MSG's checks won't bounce – and they seemingly last from here to eternity!

The Mets are "in the mix" for star free agent designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Passan notes that the Red Sox and Reds are among the other teams involved, while the incumbent Phillies remain the favorite to sign him.

With Pete Alonso a free agent and Brandon Nimmo having recently been traded to the Rangers for Marcus Semien, the Mets are in need of legitimate bats to bolster the middle of a lineup led by Juan Sotoand Francisco Lindor.

And New York is lacking power, which Schwarber would provide. 

Schwarber, who turns 33 years old in March, belted a career-high 56 homers last season for Philadelphia while slashing .240/.365/.563 as he played all 162 regular season games.

He has hit 46 home runs or more three times in the last four seasons.

In a world where the Mets sign Schwarber, they would essentially be closing off designated hitter opportunities to any other player for the foreseeable future -- something that is easier to do now that Nimmo (whose outfield defense had been regressing) is in Texas. 

Signing Schwarber could also theoretically signal the end of Alonso's time in Queens and make a trade of Mark Vientos more likely. 

If there's a big concern with Schwarber, it's his propensity to strike out. The slugger has fanned 197 times each of the last two seasons after striking out 215 times in 2023 and 200 times in 2022.

But while Schwarber swings and misses a lot, he is an absolute menace at the plate in basically every other metric.

He was in the 97th percentile or better last season when it came to batting run value, xwOBA, xSLG, average exit velocity, barrel percentage, hard hit percentage, bat speed, and walk rate.

Giants reportedly don't anticipate meeting Tatsuya Imai's hefty price tag originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Take a deep breath, Giants fans.

Despite the numerous links to San Francisco this offseason, the Giants don’t expect to meet the hefty price tag needed to sign Japanese star right-hander Tatsuya Imai, The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly reported in a piece published Monday, citing a league source familiar with the team’s plans.

“According to club sources, because of a number of financial considerations, the Giants do not anticipate making the nine-figure investment required to sign Imai — or any of the other top pitchers on the free-agent market. Instead, the club is focusing on more modestly priced alternatives,” Baggarly wrote.

Per Baggarly, the Giants, having committed significant cash to shortstop Willy Adames and Rafael Devers last season, instead, intend to sign “at least one starting pitcher” and will add to their bullpen in addition to the agreement in place with left-handed reliever Sam Hentges, while trying “to limit their spending to short-term deals.”

The development, Baggarly reports, comes after San Francisco Giants executives Buster Posey and Zack Minasian and new manager Tony Vitello met with Imai’s agent, Scott Boras, at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas to request medical reports on the Japanese pitcher as well as fellow Boras Corp. clients Ranger Suárez, Max Scherzer and Dylan Cease, who ended up signing a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Years prior, the Giants, looking to become a desired destination for international athletes, had missed out on Japanese stars like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.

Understandably, with the 27-year-old ace, arguably the best international MLB free agent this winter, available, the feeling around the league was that the Giants’ brass was going to make a move for the right-hander.

Now, with the Giants seemingly out of the running for Imai’s services, or any other top pitcher on the free-agent market commanding a nine-figure deal, the question now becomes: what pitcher will call Oracle Park their new home in 2026?

Only time will tell.

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Luisangel Acuña continues swinging a hot bat down in the Venezuelan Winter League. 

The Mets' young infielder started and finished the scoring for Cardenales de Lara on Saturday night.  

Acuña gave the Cardenales a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, smacking a first pitch fastball over the left field wall for his fourth home run since joining the squad. 

He went down on strikes each of his next two times up, but would strike again in the top of the eighth, this time punching a two out two-run single to left to make it a 10-0 ballgame. 

That was the end result, and he finished the night 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI. 

Acuña's reached base two or more times in each of his past three games, and he has four XBH's over that span. 

The 23-year-old’s big couple of days at the plate has brought his average up to a strong .276 with 11 XBH's, 16 RBI, a .429 OBP, and a .980 OPS. 

More intriguing than his offensive display, Acuña was out in center for the ninth time in 23 Winter Ball games. 

Booooooooooooom🆑🔥

Llegó la presión, Luisangel Acuña la desapareció por todo el jardín izquierdo y nos coloca arriba en el marcador🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/fj026eRwsj

— Cardenales de Lara (@CardenalesDice) November 30, 2025

Former Mets right-hander Ryan Helsley has a new home. 

Helsley is signing with the Baltimore Orioles on a two-year deal, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. 

The deal includes an opt-out after the first season. 

Despite fielding interest from numerous teams for a potential move to the rotation, Helsley will slot in as the ninth-inning man for the young and hungry Orioles, who are looking to rebounds from a last place finish in the AL East.

The 31-year-old gives them the steady and reliable arm late-inning arm they need. 

Prior to his trade to the Big Apple, Helsley was one of the premier closers in baseball, leading the league with 49 saves for the Cardinals two years ago. 

He was enjoying another strong first-half with St. Louis before being dealt to the Mets ahead of the deadline, and things quickly took a turn for the worse as he struggled with pitch-tipping. 

The 31-year-old struggled to a 7.20 ERA and 1.80 WHIP across 22 appearances in orange and blue. 

Now that he has things sorted out, though, he's confident he can rebound to his dominant form.

“I still believe I can be who I want to be," Helsley told Katie Woo of the Athletic. "I’ve shown who I am as a pitcher, And I think there’s room for improvement, ways to get better and I get even more out of myself.”

Luisangel Acuña survived his injury scare down in Winter Ball. The young Mets infielder was forced to leave the game last week after being hit by a pitch in the forearm. Just days later, though, he’s back doing damage in the Cardenales de Lara lineup.

Acuña was on-base a total of five times on Thursday night, including a pair of extra-base hits.

He started the game with a solo homer to dead center, lined a double to the gap in the fourth, drew a pair of walks over his next two at-bats, then kept things going with a two out single in the bottom of the 10th.

La presión🫡🆑

Enorme cuadrangular de Luisangel Acuña por todo el jardín central nos coloca adelante en el marcador🔥💪🏼#SomosUno#CardenalesdeLarapic.twitter.com/DeOuVajyDd

— Cardenales de Lara (@CardenalesDice) November 28, 2025

The 23-year-old then followed that with another two-hit game on Friday.

He tripled and came around for the little league homer in the fourth.

Then, after grounding out in the sixth, he came up in the bottom of the eighth and beat out an infield single to spark a game-tying rally.

Acuña grounded into a double play the 10th, but still has been putting together a stretch of strong play. 

He’s now hitting .268 with 10 extra-base hits, 13 RBI, 17 walks, 18 strikeouts, a .430 on-base percentage, and a .950 OPS through 22 games.

Fourteen of those games have been at shortstop, and he's been out in center in the other eight.

Before the Mets traded Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers for Marcus Semien -- a move that will lead to aftershocks for New York as the offseason progresses -- there was no question about what their left field plan was going to be for 2026.

It was going to be Nimmo, who had five seasons left on his contract.

Yes, there was a possibility Nimmo could've been asked to serve as the designated hitter more than he had in prior seasons (he spent a grand total of four games at DH in 2025). But he probably would've been in left field nearly every day, with Juan Soto in right field.

Now, the possibilities are endless -- not just when it comes to who the Mets turn to in left field, but who might be brought in to play center.

It's possible New York goes internal in the outfield in both left and center, but that would be a relatively risky proposition.

Regarding left field specifically, how could the Mets address it?

Let's break it down...

The Internal Candidates

The second the Nimmo deal became official, things got more interesting for top Mets outfield prospect Carson Benge.

When Nimmo was still in the fold, Benge was viewed by president of baseball operations David Stearns as someone who could break camp as the starting center fielder. Now, he could possibly be looked at as an option to start in left field instead.

Benge played all over the outfield last season in the minors, spending 67 games in center, 26 games in right, and 22 games in left. 

Whether Benge opens the season with the Mets or gets some more time with Triple-A Syracuse, he is expected to play a big role in 2026. And what New York decides to do with Benge could also have an impact on fellow prospect Jett Williams.

Williams might profile better as a second baseman (the spot now blocked by Semien) than a center fielder, so it's possible New York decides to shift Williams to center full time in 2026 in preparation for him to make that his long-term home. That could pave the way for a Mets outfield at some point next season of Benge, Williams, and Soto from left to right.

However, the possibility also exists that Williams is traded this offseason -- perhaps as part of a deal for a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher.

There's also the case of Jeff McNeil, who could also possibly get dealt. But when speaking about him following the Nimmo trade, Stearns said he had spoken to McNeil after it went down -- saying the infielder/outfielder was on board with what New York was doing.

McNeil could theoretically be a left field option for 2026. However, given his offensive profile, it's hard to envision New York turning to him there on a regular or even semi-regular basis unless they make a big center field addition. 

The presence of Tyrone Taylor could also have a big impact when it comes to what the Mets do in left. In a world where Taylor is the starting center fielder at the start of the season, it likely means either Benge or an external acquisition is in left.

The External Candidates

The two who immediately come to mind are Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger.

Tucker is the crown jewel of the free agent position player market. A relatively young star (he'll be entering his age-29 season in 2026) who controls the strike zone at an elite level and whose Baseball Savant page lights up red, the expectation is that he will get a massive deal this offseason.

Whether Tucker lands something in the range of 10 years remains to be seen, but it will take a huge payday to snag him -- especially with the Blue Jays and Dodgers possibly among his top suitors.

The Mets certainly have the wherewithal and open spot for Tucker, but whether they're prepared to hand out another megadeal after giving one to Soto last offseason remains to be seen.

Bellinger will cost a lot less than Tucker, but is still expected to be handsomely paid.

In addition to being able to play all three outfield positions, Bellinger would also give the Mets a first base option -- something that would be huge in the event they re-sign Pete Alonsobut ask him to DH a lot of the time.

Another thing to consider with Bellinger is that while his struggles in 2021 and 2022 seem like an aberration, there are some underlying concerns regarding his offensive production.

One of those concerns? Bellinger slashed .302/.365/.544 (.909 OPS) at the hitter's haven that is Yankee Stadium in 2025. On the road, he hit just .241/.301/.414 (.715 OPS). 

There aren't many strong fits on the free agent market beyond Tucker and Bellinger, but there is one very intriguing one who could be available via trade -- Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran.

Duran, who is entering his age-29 season, has been a very strong offensive performer for Boston over the last three seasons, slashing .276/.339/.471 (.810 OPS).

In 157 games last season, Duran filled up the stat sheet, smacking 41 doubles, 16 home runs, and 13 triples, while swiping 24 bases.

He strikes out at a high clip and his defense has been up and down (elite in 2024, poor in 2025), but Duran -- who will make $7.7 million in 2026 and is under team control through 2028 -- is the kind of player it would make a lot of sense for New York to pursue.