When their top free agent departed last winter, the Yankees proved adept at triggering Plan B. Their pivot after Juan Soto signed with the Mets worked and, even without Soto’s prodigious bat, the Yanks tied for the American League lead in wins and made the playoffs for the 26th time since 1995. 

What if their top free agent departs for the second consecutive offseason? Can the Yankees do it again should Cody Bellinger, who was part of Plan B last winter, sign elsewhere? 

Bellinger fits in the Bronx – he looked so comfortable in his first season in pinstripes it was as if he’d played there for years. But the 30-year-old will have a strong market after flourishing in 2025 with 29 home runs, an .813 OPS and strong baserunning and defense. He can play all three outfield positions and first base and that versatility only enhances his value. He wasn’t eligible for a qualifying offer, so there’s no attached draft pick loss to the team that signs him, either.

Losing him would be a big blow to the Yankees, who are trying to win the World Series for the first time since 2009. 

So how would they cope? We have some ideas for this winter’s version of Plan B. If it’s necessary...

The kids in the outfield

While there’s endless debate over what Spencer Jones might or might not become and similar scrutiny on what Jasson Domínguez is or isn’t, what if both turn out to be answers in the outfield? GM Brian Cashman said Jones, who has massive power and athleticism but also massive swing-and-miss, has put himself in position to make the big club after a 35-homer season in the minors. 

Domínguez showed flashes last season, but as one of the most hyped prospects in history, most fans expected towering numbers, which he did not deliver. If both are good enough in ‘26, having two cheap lineup staples would allow the Yanks to plow more money into the free agent market to fill other needs.

Sleep on it

Trent Grisham was a revelation in ‘25, pounding a career-high 34 home runs and setting himself up for a big free agent payday. The Yanks gave "The Big Sleep" a qualifying offer, which is $22.05 million for one year. He could accept it and return. Or the Yanks could bring him back by working out a multi-year deal. 

If Grisham and his laid-back vibe were in center again, it would leave only left field for the Yanks to figure out. They’ll gather more intel by Tuesday at 4 p.m., which is the deadline for Grisham to accept or reject the qualifying offer.

We want a pitcher

A big part of why last season’s Plan B worked was because the Yankees signed Max Fried and the lefty was sensational, with a 2.86 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 195.1 innings. He was eighth in ERA and finished fourth in the AL Cy Young Award voting. Nice add to a team that also had MLB’s top offense in terms of runs per game and homers. If no Bellinger, perhaps they should fortify through the rotation again by adding a big-name free agent such as Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, or Ranger Suárez. 

Perhaps Tatsuya Imai, a righty who had a 1.92 ERA last season, fits for a team that has thrived with Japanese aces in the past. 

Yes, the Yanks already have a formidable starting staff in place with Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Luis Gil. But Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón will start the season late as they finish recovery from surgeries -- and teams need huge starting inventories in the war-of-attrition world of modern-day pitching. 

Gil or Warren could be moved in a trade (Yanks need 'pen help). Someone else could get hurt. The Dodgers didn’t seem to be worried about adding too many starters last winter. How’d that work out?

Contact play

In previous columns, we’ve been over the many reasons the Yankees could use a hitter – hitters? – with a nifty contact profile and a low-strikeout mindset. It’s even more vital if Bellinger splits, considering he had a career-best 13.7 percent strikeout rate last year, well south of the MLB average of 22.2 percent. 

We dream of Steven Kwan in pinstripes. If such a trade with Cleveland could be possible, it must be pursued vigorously. Even if it’s just one slot in the batting order, the Yanks might be helped by a hitter who puts the ball in play and gets some action going on the basepaths. 

Could free agent contact fiend Luis Arraez, who had by far the lowest strikeout rate in the majors, fit somewhere, even if he’s not a good defender?

Jazz at Bronx center?

Maybe there’s a world in which the Yanks move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to center field and then sign Bo Bichette to play second base. Chisholm has played 192 games in center in his career and the Marlins once believed he was their long-term solution there. He’s athletic and fast and it might be a nice way to play out his final season before free agency, showing teams his crazy versatility along with his 30-30 offensive profile. Bichette, who has the seventh-most hits in baseball since 2021, would help diversify the Yankees' attack.

Tuck(er) and roll

OK, we’re like the rest of the world, linking the Yankees to the top bat on the free agent market, Kyle Tucker. They are the Yankees, after all, and this feels like an annual tradition. Tucker would be a neat replacement should Bellinger leave and he’ll play next season at 29 years old. 

Tucker has played much of his career in right field, a spot currently occupied on the Yankees by the game’s most destructive offensive force (Aaron Judge, duh), so he’d have to move to left. No biggie and it’s fun to imagine Judge and Tucker in the same lineup, along with other thumpers such as Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice. 

Adding Tucker doesn’t feel super-likely, however, considering how much more expensive he could turn out to be than Bellinger. The Yanks are already sitting on some mammoth contracts.

Here is the latest news and buzz surrounding free agent first basemanPete Alonso and his chances of returning to the Mets...

Dec. 9, 9:54 a.m.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that free agent Alex Bregman "still appears to be the Red Sox's No. 1 target."

If that's the case and Boston retains Bregman, it could make a potential addition of Alonso tricky.

That's because multiple reports, including from Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, indicate that Boston wants to keep its payroll under $264 million for the 2026 season.

Boston's payroll is currently a shade above $223 million, and it's fair to believe a Bregman signing would lift the payroll to roughly $250 million or more.

Alonso is reportedly set to arrive at the Winter Meetings on Tuesday to meet with interested teams, including the Red Sox and Orioles.

Speaking on Monday, David Stearns indicated the Mets would likely not be one of the teams meeting with Alonso on Tuesday, explaining that the two sides already know one another extremely well.

Stearns noted that re-signing Alonso remains a priority.

Dec. 8, 1:40 p.m.

Alonso will drive from his home in Tampa to the Winter Meetings in Orlando to meet with interested teams on Tuesday, reports Mike Puma of The New York Post.

Per Puma, Alonso is set to meet with the Red Sox and Orioles.

Puma notes that it's unclear whether Alonso will have a meeting with the Mets.

The Red Sox have been heavily linked to Alonso for weeks, and also reportedly have interest in Kyle Schwarber, Bo Bichette, and a reunion with Alex Bregman.

In addition to their interest in Alonso, reports have connected the O's to some of the top free agent starting pitchers, including Framber Valdez -- whom the Mets also have interest in.

Dec. 7, 3:35 p.m.

According to a report from Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, Alonso has told friends that the Red Sox are "high" on his list of potential free agent destinations. 

Conor Roche of Boston.com notes that Alonso's wife Haley is from Quincy, Mass., just outside of Boston.

It's previously been reported that the Sox have both Alonso and Schwarber as "primary targets," and things are certainly primed to pick up as the MLB Winter Meetings are now underway in Orlando.

Dec. 6, 2:33 p.m.

As Alonso looks to cash in a highly productive season into a long-term deal, it seems some in the industry do not believe the slugger will get the contract he's looking for.

Earlier this offseason, it was reported that Alonso was seeking at least a seven-year deal, but the Post's Joel Sherman spoke to outside agents and execs around the league, and they don't believe Alonso will come close to that.

“I don’t think length is out there for Alonso,” an AL official told Sherman. 

One veteran agent offered to the Post, “No one is giving him five years. He would be lucky to get four, and that will likely come with a lower AAV [average annual value] and a whopper of deferred dollars.”

Last offseason, Alonso and the Mets had a standoff as the slugger sought a long-term and lucrative contract. New York and Alonso wound up settling on a two-year, $54 million deal just before camp, and after having one of his best offensive seasons, the first baseman opted out to test free agency once again. 

But with teams like the Orioles and Red Sox looking at signing Alonso, it's likely he'll get more than what the Mets gave him before the 2025 season.

Dec. 4, 4:08 p.m.

The Red Sox have Alonso and fellow free agent Kyle Schwarber as "primary targets" as they look to add thump to their lineup, reports Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic.

Schwarber's market is reportedly robust, with the Phillies, Mets, and Reds also involved.

As far as Alonso, it seems Boston and the Mets could be the two likeliest landing spots.

The Sox have also been linked to Alex Bregman (like Alonso, Bregman is repped by Scott Boras), and re-signing him could potentially remove the possibility that they ink Alonso.

When it comes to Bregman's market, the Tigers are another team with reported interest. 

Dec. 1, 10:09 a.m.

With Alonso's free agency in its second month, he is waiting for a team to "step to the forefront" for him, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Passan characterizes third baseman Alex Bregman's free agency the same way.

Alonso and Bregman are linked in other ways this offseason.

The Sox could be the most serious non-Mets suitor for Alonso, and are also interested in re-signing Bregman.

Beyond that, both players are represented by Scott Boras.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has said numerous times this offseason that the team would love to retain Alonso.

Nov. 17, 9:40 a.m.

The Red Sox are sending "mixed signals" regarding a potential pursuit of Alonso, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive.

Cotillo notes that at the beginning of the offseason, "a well-connected industry source" didn't think Boston would be a "major player" for Alonso.

But there are now people in the Red Sox's "inner circle" who prefer Alonso to fellow free agent Kyle Schwarber.

Schwarber is attached to a qualifying offer, while Alonso is not.

Boston has first baseman Triston Casas, who would seemingly be boxed out of playing time if Alonso signed.

Meanwhile, Josh Naylor agreed to a five-year deal with the Mariners on Sunday -- taking one potential Alonso fallback option off the market and removing Seattle as a possible Alonso suitor. 

Nov. 11, 6:19 p.m.

Speaking at the GM Meetings, president of baseball operations David Stearns said the Mets would love to have Alonso (and Edwin Diaz) back.

"We love both Pete and Edwin," Stearns said. "They've been great representatives of the organization. We'd love to have them both back. At this stage of the offseason, it’s really tough to predict any outcomes, but certainly, we would love to have both those guys back."

Stearns added:

"All parts of player contribution inform how we view the player. For a position player, that’s certainly going to include offense and what they do in the box and what they do defensively. It also includes what they mean to us off the field, what they meant to us in the clubhouse and in the community. All that gets factored in with every player and Pete's no different."

Nov. 10, 5:06 p.m.

SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino says his "hunch" is that David Stearns and Steve Cohen "would be happy to welcome Alonso back in 2026" if he's open to a significant increase in at-bats at DH.

Additionally, Martino notes that it's "hard to imagine an increased willingness" by the Mets to offer Alonso a deal for four or five years.

Giants execs Buster Posey, Zack Minasian reflect on Tony Vitello hiring process originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Weeks removed from introducing Tony Vitello as the new Giants manager, president of baseball operations Buster Posey and general manager Zack Minasian had time to reflect on the process at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas last week. 

The confidence in the move has only grown within the Giants’ front office.  

“He’s so good with the media and he’s got a great presence about him, and I think it’s something that he enjoys doing,” Posey said of Vitello to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic on the “Giants Talk” podcast. “That’s a good thing, because he’s about to do it a lot coming up here in his first season.” 

From star MLB pitchers to Hall of Fame quarterbacks, there has been no shortage of praise for Vitello. His popularity has made an impression on Posey.

“I’ve heard from a lot of people about him,” Posey said. “It seems that he knows a lot of different people in a lot of different walks of life. We’ve all seen it over the last couple of weeks.”

Although Minasian hasn’t been a GM for too long, he has been a part of many interview processes. He worked with the Milwaukee Brewers in the scouting department during the hirings of Ron Roenicke and Craig Counsell, and with the Giants in a similar role when the team hired Gabe Kapler and Bob Melvin. 

In his second offseason as Giants GM, Minasian has seen an evolution in interview processes, which now include interviews over Zoom and through phone calls in addition to in-person meetings. 

While some interviews test candidates with in-game situations, the Giants did not put Vitello through that. 

“I know there’s some interview processes where there has been legitimate game situation video up and the potential manager is being asked what they would do in a certain situation,” Minasian recalled. “We didn’t go to that extent with Tony.” 

The Giants were sold on Vitello’s proven relationship and leadership skills. Situational-based decision making will be developed as a collaboration between the new MLB coach and the front office. 

“I think we’re all pretty open to Tony entering a little bit of a different world from what he’s experienced,” Minasian noted. “We talked about it, we all acknowledged it, but we didn’t necessarily try and test his knowledge on when do you want to flip the left-hander to the right side, and when you’re bringing this reliever in …

“I think those are things, hopefully, that we can collaborate on and have good conversations during the spring and even in the offseason.” 

The Giants have built a brain trust of franchise legends such as Posey and former managers Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy, who all will lend a hand to Vitello in his quest into uncharted MLB territory. 

“I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him even more since we made the hire,” Posey said. “Still very, very excited about him.” 

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The easiest and cleanest way for the Mets to add a top-of-the-rotation starter to their staff this offseason is to turn to the free agent market, where the headliners are Framber Valdez, Dylan Cease, and Ranger Suarez.

Ahead of his age-32 season, Valdez is the oldest of the available top starters. And he'll be seeking a huge deal.

Suarez, who turned 30 in August, might be the safest bet -- but he's also the least imposing. He has allowed 8.6 hits per nine during his eight-year career, is not a big strikeout guy, and has never thrown 158 innings or more in a season.

Then there's Cease, whose upside is sky high.

Entering his age-30 season, Cease has finished in the top-four in Cy Young voting two of the last four seasons. And he eats tons of innings. However, he's coming off a campaign where he had a 4.55 ERA, and has been maddeningly inconsistent.

With Suarez not an ideal fit, Valdez in line for a monster contract, and the up-and-down Cease possibly looking at a deal as long as six years, could a trade for a top starter paired with a signing of King make the most sense for a Mets team in need of serious rotation reinforcements?

Here are the pros and cons of signing King... 

PROS

King, who will be entering his age-31 season in 2026, was tremendous for the Padres in 2024 as he transitioned from relieving to being a full-time starter. 

Over 173.2 innings in 2024 -- which was nearly 70 innings more than the career-high he tossed in 2023 -- King had a 2.95 ERA (3.33 FIP) and 1.19 WHIP while striking out 201.

King was still effective in 2025, but his season was interrupted twice due to injuries.

In 73.1 innings spanning 15 starts this past season, King had a 3.44 ERA (4.42 FIP) and 1.20 WHIP while striking out 76.

While King has the ability to pitch near the top of the rotation when healthy, questions about his durability could result in the contract he signs this offseason being short.

That could mean a three-year contract. Or perhaps King bets on himself and takes a one-year deal with an eye on hitting the market again next offseason and cashing in.

Either way, he will almost certainly not get anything close in terms of years or average annual value to what Valdez, Suarez, Cease, or even Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai will get.

On a three-year deal, King would be a medium-risk, high-reward proposition. 

On a one-year deal, the risk would be incredibly low. 

CONS

King dealt with a nerve injury in his throwing shoulder last season, and also lost time due to a knee injury.

While with the Yankees in 2022, he suffered a rare elbow injury in July that ended his season.

King has less mileage on his arm than most starting pitchers his age since he only recently transitioned to starting, so that's a plus. But it's also a double-edged sword of sorts since it means he isn't used to the rigors of starting every fifth day.

A look at King's advanced stats also show a precipitous drop from 2024 to 2025 in lots of key areas.

Most importantly, his pitching run value went from near the top of the league to near the bottom. 

Meanwhile, after King's xERA, chase percentage, whiff percentage, and barrel percentage were all elite in 2024, he was below average in each of those metrics in 2025. 

Looking at King's stuff, while he has a legitimate four-pitch mix (sinker, four-seam fastball, changeup, and sweeper) and also tosses in a slider every now and then, his sinker and four-seamer are noticeably down in velocity.

In 2022, King's sinker averaged 95.5 mph. In 2025, it averaged 92.7 mph.

In 2022, King's four-seamer averaged 96.4 mph. In 2025, it averaged 93.7 mph.

VERDICT

For a Mets team that needs more consistency in the rotation after their 2025 season was derailed because their starting staff faltered, King is arguably too big of a question mark.

Perhaps he could make sense on a one-year deal if he's paired with a top-of-the-rotation addition. But saving that, the Mets should be focusing their attention elsewhere.