The Giants added additional bullpen depth on Tuesday.
San Francisco signed veteran right-handed relief pitcher Jason Foley to a one-year MLB contract, the team announced Tuesday afternoon.
Foley, 30, last pitched for the Detroit Tigers in 2024 before undergoing right shoulder surgery in May of this year to repair his anterior capsule that sidelined him for the 2025 season.
In 69 appearances in 2024, Foley posted a 3.15 ERA with 46 strikeouts, 20 walks and 28 saves in 60 innings pitched for Detroit.
Foley made his MLB debut with Detroit in 2021, and from 2022-2024, his 189 1/3 innings pitched ranked fifth among American League relievers during that span.
The Giants’ expectation is that Foley will be back pitching midway through the 2026 MLB season.
ATLANTA — Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is returning to the Atlanta Braves, agreeing Monday to a $20 million, one-year contract that addressed a major offseason priority for the team.
Kim gets a $4 million raise. He had declined a $16 million player option from the $29 million, two-year contract he agreed to in February with Tampa Bay, a deal that paid him $13 million. The Braves announced the new deal with Kim Monday night.
General manager Alex Anthopoulos said a long-term contract with Kim was discussed before the agreement on a one-year deal. Anthpoulos said he still hoped Kim's return means “hopefully a longer marriage here.”
The 30-year-old from South Korea batted .234 with five homers and 17 RBIs for the Rays and Braves, who claimed him off waivers on Sept. 1. Kim didn’t make his season debut until July 4 because of right shoulder surgery in late 2024.
“This contract reflects our belief in him and he’s a much better player,” Anthopoulos said of Kim's 2025 statistics.
Kim has a .242 average with 52 homers and 217 RBIs for San Diego (2021-24), Tampa Bay (2025) and Atlanta.
Anthopoulos said he's looking for Kim to return to his production levels he enjoyed with the Padres.
“We think we’ve got a very good chance to get the guy he was with San Diego,” Anthopoulos said, adding it will benefit both the Braves and Kim if he has a big 2026 season and improves his status for a bigger contract with more years after next season.
“Come here, be the player you can be, have a great year and get the contract you deserve,” Anthopoulos said.
Atlanta designated right-hander Osvaldo Bido for assignment to open a roster spot.
The return of Kim means Mauricio Dubón, acquired from the Houston Astros for Nick Allen in an exchange of infielders on Nov. 19, likely will be available in a utility role instead of being relied on to be the starter at shortstop.
Dubón, 31, appeared in 133 games with Houston last season and batted .241 while earning his second Gold Glove, each time as a utility infielder. He also won a Gold Glove in 2023.
The return of Kim comes after outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and the Braves agreed to a $23 million, two-year contract on Wednesday that includes a 2028 club option with the potential to make the deal worth $26 million over three seasons.
It has been a busy week for the Braves, who also added two-time All-Star reliever Robert Suarez on Thursday to a $45 million, three-year contract.
The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham reported this week that New York, the Orioles and Red Sox "are competing for" the free-agent right-hander, whose "decision is not necessarily soon."
The New York Post's Greg Joyce added that the Yankees are "open to" reuniting with King, 30, whom they dealt among others to the Padres in their December 2023 trade with San Diego for outfielders Juan Soto and Trent Grisham.
"The thing about Kinger is he's got obviously great stuff and a great arsenal," New York manager Aaron Boone said last week at the 2025 MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla., according to Joyce. "He’s really smart and has a real good understanding of that stuff. It's allowed him to evolve as a pitcher, coupled with his confidence."
Starting 45 of 46 regular-season games for the Padres from 2024-25, King went 18-12 with a 3.10 ERA and 1.194 WHIP in 247 IP. He battled injuries during his second year in San Diego, limiting him to 73.1 IP over 15 starts.
"We are playing around with a lot of different ideas and seeing if it takes us anywhere," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told YES Network last week.
King transitioned from reliever to starter at the end of his time in New York, a chapter that spanned five MLB seasons (2019-23). He made his MLB debut Sept. 27, 2019, with the Yankees, who landed him from the Miami Marlins in a November 2017 trade.
The Marlins originally selected King from Boston College with the No. 353 overall pick in the 12th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. The Rochester, N.Y., native played at Warwick (R.I.) Bishop Hendrickson High School before heading to Boston College from 2014-16.
NEW YORK — Edwin Díaz won't receive all of his $69 million from the Dodgers until 2047, with the closer's deal raising deferred payment obligations for the two-time World Series champions to more than $1.06 billion due to nine players.
As part of the three-year contract announced Friday, Díaz gets a $9 million signing bonus payable on Feb. 1, according to terms obtained by The Associated Press.
He receives a $14 million salary next year and $23 million in each of the following two seasons. The Dodgers will defer $4.5 million annually.
Díaz's deferred money is payable in 10 equal installments each July 1. The 2026 money is due from 2036-45, the 2027 money from 2037-46 and the 2028 money from 2038-47.
Los Angeles has a $6.5 million conditional team option for 2029 with no buyout. The option could be exercised if he has a specified injury through the end of the 2028 season and he does not end the season or postseason healthy, or if he has a specified surgery.
If the conditional option is exercised, he could earn $2.5 million in performance bonuses for 2029 based on games finished: $750,000 each for 45 and 50 games and $1 million for 55.
Díaz gets a hotel suite on road trips and will make a charitable contribution of 1% of his income.
His deferred payments raise the Dodgers' total to $1,064,500. Their high point due in a year is $102.3 million in both 2038 and 2039.
Los Angeles also owes deferred payments to two-way star Shohei Ohtani ($680 million from 2034-43), outfielder/infielder Mookie Betts ($115 million in salaries from 2033-44 and the final $5 million of his signing bonus payable from 2033-35), left-hander Blake Snell ($66 million from 2035-46), first baseman Freddie Freeman ($57 million from 2028-40), catcher Will Smith ($50 million from 2034-43) and utilityman Tommy Edman ($25 million from 2037-44), reliever Tanner Scott ($21 million 2035-46) and outfielder Teoscar Hernández ($32 million from 2030-39).
A three-time All-Star who turns 32 on March 22, Díaz had 28 saves in 31 chances last season with a 6-3 record and 1.63 ERA for a disappointing Mets team that failed to reach the playoffs despite spending the second most behind the Dodgers. He struck out 98 in 66 1/3 innings.
Díaz has 253 saves in 294 chances over nine seasons with Seattle (2016-18) and New York. Díaz agreed to a $102 million, five-year contract with the Mets after the 2022 season, a deal that included deferred money payable through 2042. He gave up $38 million he would have been owed in the final two years with the Mets.
The Mets are signing outfielder Cristian Pache to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to big league spring training, per multiple reports.
Pache, 27, last played in the majors in 2024, splitting time between the Phillies, Orioles, and Marlins.
His best season came in 2023, when he had a .735 OPS for the Phillies in 48 games.
During his five-year major league career, Pache has hit .181/.243/275 in 610 plate appearances across 251 games for the Marlins, Orioles, Phillies, A's, and Braves.
Pache could be a useful depth option, but his addition obviously does nothing to address New York's starting needs in the outfield.
The Mets have Juan Sotoentrenched in right field, but are seeking answers in left field and center field.
One option is for top prospect Carson Benge to break camp in one of those spots, but the expectation is the Mets will make at least one -- and perhaps two -- serious additions to the outfield this offseason.
Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte is one of the buzziest names on the MLB trade block, but it seems as if the veteran isn't interested in heading to the Bronx.
While the Yanks currently have Jazz Chisholm Jr. as their second baseman, ESPN's Jeff Passan recently reported that NewYork has listened on potential trades for Chisholm, who is set to be a free agent at the end of the 2026 season.
Marte also has experience at shortstop and in center field, but seems fairly locked in as a second baseman at this point.
A three-time All-Star, Marte has a career slash line of .281/.351/.472 with 171 home runs, 587 RBI, and 688 runs scored.
The 32-year-old signed a six-year, $116.5 million extension with the D-backs this past April -- a deal that includes a player option for the 2031 season.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins and durable slugger Josh Bell agreed on a one-year, $7 million contract, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations.
The person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because completion of the deal was pending a physical exam, said Bell will get a $250,000 signing bonus and a $5.5 million salary in 2026. The deal includes a mutual option for 2027 with a $1.25 million buyout.
Bell also gets a hotel suite on road trips.
Bell projects to help fill a void at first base and designated hitter with the Twins for his 11th major league season. He hit .237 with 22 home runs and 63 RBIs this year for Washington.
If the Boston Red Sox look to trade Jarren Duran this offseason, the Kansas City Royals are an obvious match. Kansas City is looking for outfield help, and its pitching staff includes multiple arms that could pique Boston’s interest.
The Royals are open to trading for Duran, but according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Red Sox’ asking price is too high. KC believes such a deal would require shipping left-hander Cole Ragans to Boston.
“Even after signing free agent Lane Thomas and trading for Isaac Collins, the Kansas City Royals are open to adding another outfielder – most notably Jarren Duran, if the Boston Red Sox lower their asking price,” Rosenthal writes.
“The Royals are under the impression Duran would cost them left-hander Cole Ragans, though the Red Sox view the initial talks as more informal and exploratory, according to people briefed on the conversations.
“Both Ragans, 28, and Duran, 29, are under club control for three more seasons, with Ragans under contract for a combined $12 million in 2026-27 and Duran for $7.75 million in ’26. The Royals, though, see Ragans as a player with greater value, a potential Game 1 starter in a postseason series.”
Although a Duran-for-Ragans deal makes sense for both sides, the Royals’ hesitance is understandable. Ragans is an ace-caliber starter with multiple years of control, and pitchers fitting that description typically come with a hefty price tag. Boston likely would have to add an intriguing prospect or two to the trade package to get Kansas City to bite, but given Ragans’ ability to slot in as the No. 2 starter behind Garrett Crochet, it may be worth it.
Ragans placed fourth in the 2024 American League Cy Young vote, finishing with a 3.14 ERA and an AL-best 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings. He missed time last season with groin and rotator cuff injuries, limiting him to only 13 starts (61.1 innings pitched). He posted a 4.67 ERA, but his 2.50 FIP and 14.3 strikeouts per nine innings were encouraging.
Duran, an All-Star in 2024, is coming off a down season in which he slashed .256/.332/.442 with 16 homers, 84 RBI, and 24 stolen bases in 157 games. He’s part of a crowded Red Sox outfield that includes Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony, and Ceddanne Rafaela.
Boston has been expected to move one of their outfielders — specifically Duran or Abreu — this offseason, but chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is content with keeping the group intact, according to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe.
“According to executives from multiple clubs that have been in the market for outfielders and have talked trade possibilities with the Red Sox, Breslow’s message has been consistent. He has Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Jarren Duran on the roster. He is comfortable keeping it that way into next season unless a team convinces him not to,” Healey writes.
Keeping all four outfielders would be a head-scratcher. The only logical path to giving each player consistent playing time would be shifting Rafaela — an elite center fielder — to second base. Trading Duran or Abreu would clear the logjam while presumably upgrading the Red Sox’ pitching staff.
Other than Ragans, fellow southpaw Kris Bubic is among the Royals’ most valuable pitchers who could be available on the trade market. Bubic, 28, is coming off a breakout All-Star campaign in which he posted a 2.55 ERA across 20 starts.
García, 32, has spent the past six seasons with Texas after breaking into the Majors with St. Louis in 2018. Over five full seasons with the Rangers (excluding 2020), he hit 141 home runs and posted a .234/.298/.443 line, averaging 3.0 WAR per season.
He was a key contributor in Texas’ victorious 2023 World Series run — a season that also included an All-Star nod and a Gold Glove— producing a 1.108 OPS with eight homers in the postseason and earning ALCS MVP honors after going deep five times against Houston. His biggest moment came in Game 1 of the Fall Classic when he slugged a dramatic walk-off homer in the bottom of the 11th inning.
The Rangers non-tendered García on Nov. 21, as he was projected to make north of $10 million in his final year of arbitration.
The move comes after two down years at the plate. García has a .675 OPS in that span and has reached base at a .278 clip.
In 2025, he produced a .665 OPS — sixth-worst in the American League among qualified hitters — with a .227 average, 19 homers and 75 RBIs, and his Statcast profile reflected the swing-and-miss: a 35.7% chase rate, 30.3% whiff rate and 5.1% walk rate.
Defensively, García remains an asset, even on the wrong side of 30. Across 128 games in right field last season, he graded above league average in Outs Above Average (OAA) and logged a 91.9 mph arm on average, placing him in the top eight percent of the league.
According to FanGraphs, García was one of the best defenders at the position, finishing with 16 defensive runs saved — the best mark among right fielders and one more than Rawlings Platinum Glove Award winner Fernando Tatís Jr.
This move comes as a likely, direct replacement for Nick Castellanos. Clearly, García is the stronger defensive outfielder — he posted 1 OAA in 2025 compared to Castellanos’ -12 — and while it remains difficult to envision another club absorbing Castellanos’ $20 million salary, the Phillies clearly wanted a reset in right field.
García fits as a buy-low swing with real upside. The underlying power is still there, his arm and defense remain superior and the one-year deal limits risk. If the Phillies can get even a partial return to form, they’ve added right-handed protection for Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber without a long-term financial commitment.
Tony Vitello didn’t need long to explain why Giants outfielder Drew Gilbert already has become a fan favorite in San Francisco.
Vitello, who coached Gilbert at Tennessee before taking over in San Francisco, joined NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic on the latest “Giants Talk” podcast and broke down the energy and competitiveness that made the former Volunteer star a foundational player for him then — and a natural fit with Giants fans now.
“I think it’s easy to see how much he wants to win,” Vitello told Pavlovic. “If you pay for a ticket to go to the game, you want to see a win… so you want that equal kind of give from the players. And with Drew, because he wears his emotions on his sleeve so much, you’ll never doubt it.”
Vitello said Gilbert’s emotional transparency — the intensity, the reactions, the way he carries himself — creates a rare connection.
“There’s other players too that there’s as much give, but you just don’t see it as much,” Vitello added. “For him, you have that visual — the way he plays, the emotion he plays with — and it can really affect the locker room. I think that’s his strength. It’ll never leave.”
Now that the two are reunited at the big-league level, Vitello said Gilbert is focused on continuing to round out his game so he can “stand the test of time” in MLB.
And while Vitello has watched a lot of players move on from Tennessee, following Gilbert’s rise in San Francisco became something of an event inside the program.
“The coolest thing is when guys come back to work out or train with us, or see a game,” Vitello noted. “But second place to that is us being able to follow them and see them. We don’t get to look at box scores every day … but when it’s news that’s as loud or as exciting as it was with Drew, it kind of captivated the whole underbelly of our stadium for a while.”
SAN FRANCISCO — The second question of Tony Vitello’s media availability at the MLB Winter Meetings was about which manager he hopes to get to know as he makes the transition from Tennessee to leading the Giants. Vitello didn’t hesitate to mention Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy.
Murphy, a two-time Manager of the Year, already had relayed some advice to Vitello through the Andersons. Frank Anderson, who coached with Vitello at Tennessee and will be on his staff in San Francisco, has known Murphy for years, and his son, Brett, finished his career in Milwaukee.
“I haven’t seen him yet,” Vitello said of Murphy. “It’s been busy.”
Twenty minutes later, Vitello walked out of the conference room at the Signia by Hilton and ran right into Murphy. The two talked for several minutes, and in the middle of their conversation, Dusty Baker joined.
Vitello joked on Tuesday that he didn’t “know what I’m doing at this thing, to be honest with you,” but in Orlando, he found plenty willing to help. Several current MLB managers went out of their way to approach and introduce themselves after interviews and meetings. They all will be competing in a few months, but right now, Vitello is being welcomed into a new community.
The Winter Meetings made it easy to meet other managers. Aside from simply running into one another at times, there were several events where all 30 attended, and one where they took a group picture. Meeting his own players before pitchers and catchers report will take a bit more effort.
Vitello plans to fly to the Dominican Republic this week and then visit South Korea in January, trips that he hopes will allow him to spend quality time with Willy Adames, Rafael Devers and Jung Hoo Lee, while also meeting others in the organization and seeing some Giants facilities.
Vitello basically came straight from Tennessee practices to Oracle Park in October, and other than former Volunteers Drew Gilbert and Blade Tidwell, along with others he unsuccessfully recruited — Bryce Eldridge, Sam Hentges, etc. — he does not have a lot of experience with the current roster. He said getting time with his stars since that press conference has not been as easy as outsiders might think. There’s a reason for that.
“I know the coaching candidates very, very well, either the ones we’ve hired or the ones we’ve considered,” Vitello said. “That became an all-out project on top of some other things that came with this unique transition from the program I was very much a part of to now.”
“So the biggest thing has been that staff.”
The entire staff finally got together on Wednesday, having dinner at an Italian restaurant in the hotel hosting the Winter Meetings. While there has been a delay in announcing it because some exact responsibilities are still being finalized, everyone is under contract and the work on 2026 already has started.
There are a lot of ways in which Vitello’s first year will be unique, and his relationship with his roster is near the top of the list. Just about every first-year manager has a pretty good baseline of MLB knowledge because most were big leaguers themselves or spent years as a bench coach or hitting coach.
Vitello has coached quite a few current MLB stars and against just about every big name to come out of the college game in recent years, but he is playing catchup when it comes to learning the division and his own roster, which is understandable.
It would have been unreasonable to expect Vitello to be watching Giants-Diamondbacks games in September when he was running a college program. But he did start following the organization more closely after Gilbert and Tidwell were traded over in July.
Gilbert spent the weeks after the Vitello hire talking to some of his teammates about what to expect. The manager has exchanged plenty of text messages and calls, but said he’s looking forward to really diving in before they all gather in Scottsdale in February.
Vitello said he has tried to be a little “guarded” early on, knowing that they’re all about to spend every day together for eight-plus months and there’s no value in jumping to conclusions now. But he kept his ears open in the suite at the Winter Meetings, listening closely to the information others were giving about Logan Webb, Matt Chapman and others.
“It would be great if I exchanged 25 more text messages than Chappy and I have, or we’ve yet to hook up in person, but nothing is going to be like being in Spring Training and being around somebody every day.”
The trips over the next couple of months will accelerate that process. They also will check off some destinations for a man who considers travel to be one of his biggest passions other than baseball.
“It’s fun to experience different cultures and get to meet different people and understand where they’re coming from and maybe you learn something that you make a part of your own life,” Vitello said. “I’m kind of as excited about that as anything. We’ll go to a couple places, either as a staff or I’ll go on my own, to visit with some of these players.
“Part of it is work, and part of it is me stealing a free trip to go see a new place because I truly kind of enjoy that.”
It does not appear the Giants can pull off a trade for Arizona Diamondbacks star second baseman Ketel Marte.
At least, without his blessing.
San Francisco, who The Athletic’s Katie Woo reported Saturday “remains engaged” with Arizona in trade talks for Marte, will have to clear one major hurdle to land the three-time All-Star.
The Giants, along with the Athletics, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals are five teams on Marte’s no-trade list, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported in a story published Monday morning, citing people briefed on Marte’s contract.
Marte, on the 10th day of the 2026 MLB season, also will gain full no-trade protection as a player with 10 years of major-league service, per The Athletic.
It’s unclear if Arizona is willing to trade Marte to a division rival, but as The Athletic previously reported, the Seattle Mariners also are interested in the 32-year-old.
Marte, over his last three seasons in Arizona, batted a combined .283/.368/.519 with 89 home runs, 249 RBI and a 141 OPS+ and is one season removed from a 35-homer, 95-RBI season in 2024.
He also is an attractive option for teams because of his affordable contract, with Marte owed $102.5 million over the next six seasons, including $41 million in deferrals that are not paid out until 10 years after the money is earned, which lowers his average annual value to a manageable $14.6 million.
If the Giants, or any team, wants to trade for Marte, Arizona, The Athletic reports, is seeking young pitching in any potential deal for the second baseman.
Should San Francisco be willing to part with its young pitching, and would Marte even waive his no-trade clause?
PHOENIX — Veteran starting pitcher Merrill Kelly agreed Sunday to return to the Arizona Diamondbacks on a two-year, $40 million deal, according to a person familiar with the move.
The right-hander spent the first 6 1/2 years of his career with the Diamondbacks before the pending free agent was dealt to the Texas Rangers at this year’s trade deadline in July. He was good for both teams, finishing with a combined 12-9 record and 3.52 ERA.
Kelly’s return to the desert isn’t a huge surprise considering he’s a Scottsdale native and played in college at Arizona State.
The fan favorite was a key piece of the team that went to the World Series in 2023. He had a 12-8 record and a 3.29 ERA that season, adding a masterful performance in Game 2 of the World Series against the Rangers, which is the only game the D-backs would win in the Fall Classic.
The 37-year-old doesn’t have overpowering stuff but thrives thanks to a six-pitch mix that keeps hitters off balance. He has carved out a solid MLB career despite not making his debut until he was 30 in 2019.
He was drafted in 2010 by the Tampa Bay Rays but got stuck in Triple A before electing to sign with the SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization from 2015 to 2018, going 48-32 with a 3.86 ERA.
The Diamondbacks liked what they saw and signed him to a four-year, $14.5 million deal in 2018.
He agreed to an two-year, $18 million deal with Arizona in 2022 that covered the 2023 and 2024 seasons and included a club option for 2025 that the D-backs exercised.
If you were hoping for an immediate big-splash response to losing Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz that would make you feel better about this Mets’ offseason, well, it’s clear by now that David Stearns just isn’t wired that way.
Which is to say, Jorge Polanco is a solid player coming off a good season with the Seattle Mariners that included a few electric postseason moments. He’s just not a guy who’s going to send anyone running to buy season tickets.
And that’s fine if he helps the Mets win a lot of games next season. Which remains to be seen, of course.
For the moment, the timing of Polanco’s signing seemed to indicate that Stearns won’t be pushed into going big-game hunting no matter how outraged the fan base is by the events of this past week.
On the other hand, a potential trade with the San Diego Padres that has been reported -- most heavily by The Athletic -- in recent days could be of blockbuster quality, even if it apparently wouldn’t include Francisco Lindor or Fernando Tatis Jr.
More on that to come.
As for Polanco, it’s not exactly a bargain contract, as $20 million a year seems to be pushing the envelope on value, given his inconsistent track record. But it’s only a two-year deal, or $40 million total, which is $115 million less than Alonso is guaranteed with the Baltimore Orioles.
There is also the little matter of whether Polanco can play first base, which is where Mets’ people are saying they see him getting most of his at-bats. It’s notable because he’s virtually never played first base at the big-league level (one career game at first base, which came this past season), and though most middle infielders are a good bet to adapt well to the new position, it still adds some risk to the equation.
It’s also thinking outside the box, to a degree, which is kind of what you want to see from Stearns after all the bloodletting this past week. Yet Polanco, whose 26 home runs last season was the second-highest total of his career, is hardly a guy who’s going to fill the power void left by Alonso’s departure.
However, Stearns may think he can build an effective offensive team without big power. Consider what his old team, the Milwaukee Brewers, did last season, finishing third in the majors in runs scored despite ranking only 22nd in home runs.
Of course, the Brewers also finished second in the majors in stolen bases and had the fifth-fewest total of strikeouts, so they were a fast, contact-hitting team that would be hard for the Mets to emulate. They also were completely shut down in the postseason by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and indeed they’ve had little success in October in recent years.
Perhaps Stearns also had an eye on the Toronto Blue Jays, who had great success with a high-contact offense, including the second-fewest total of strikeouts. Polanco struck out only 84 times last season, which ranked in the 83rd percentile of all major league hitters last season.
“What you’re seeing is David wants to build a team that is solid in all facets of the game,” one person who has worked for Stearns in the past told me. “He’s a sum-of-the-parts guy. I think he’d rather have grinders than stars.”
Polanco fits that mold. So does outfielder Ramon Laureano, who could be coming to Queens as well if the Mets make that multi-player trade with the Padres that has been reported in detail by The Athletic as being in the talking stages.
There is no indication that Lindor or Tatis Jr. would be part of such a deal, yet it could still fill a lot of holes for the Mets, as it reportedly could include starting pitcher Nick Pivetta, reliever and strikeout monster Mason Miller, as well as lefty reliever Adrian Morejon, who was dominant last season, and Laureano too.
Laureano isn’t the contact hitter that Polanco is, striking out 119 times last season in 132 games, but he hit .281 last season and he’s got some pop, as evidenced by his 54 extra-base hits and a .512 slugging percentage. Last year he ranked in the 93rd percentile of all MLB hitters in expected slugging percentage, based on his quality of contact.
At age 31 he’s coming off his two best offensive seasons since 2019, and while he has very limited range in the outfield, according to Statcast, he does have one of the strongest arms in the game.
And Laureano is making $6.5 million on a team option in 2026 before reaching free agency next winter, which means he would come a lot cheaper than Cody Bellinger, not to mention Kyle Tucker.
Likewise, Pivetta could be a short-term answer to upgrading the starting rotation, coming off the best season of his career at age 32, with a 2.87 ERA over 31 starts and 181 innings. The righthander is due to make $19.75 million in 2026 and can opt out of the final two years of his contract (worth $33.5 million) after next season.
For the Mets to also get Miller, perhaps the hardest thrower in the game, in the same deal, it would take a huge package, but baseball people say the two teams do match up in terms of needs.
That is, the Padres are desperate for pitching, after losing Dylan Cease and (presumably) Michael King to free agency, as well as Yu Darvish to injury, and while the Mets would get Pivetta they could send back Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat, as well as David Peterson and perhaps Kodai Senga as well, in addition to a Mark Vientos or Ronny Mauricio.
It’s an intriguing possibility and, perhaps more to the point, it would fill some key needs for the Mets without dipping heavily into free agency.
“I’d bet on Stearns making some version of that trade (with the Padres) before I could see him giving (Framber) Valdez or (Ranger) Suarez a long-term deal,” said the person who once worked for Stearns. “That’s just who he is. (Juan) Soto was the exception, and that was probably more (Steve) Cohen anyway. David wants to build something without committing to long-term contracts as much as he can.”
