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When you think about the Mets' offseason and what the team will look like at the start of the 2026 campaign, there are a few things that immediately come to mind.

One is the future of the offensive core, which was broken up when Brandon Nimmo was traded to the Rangers for Marcus Semien.

Another is the free agency of Pete Alonso, who could return but whose power would have to be replaced externally if he signs elsewhere -- with the Red Sox and Orioles among the teams in pursuit.

Then there's the starting rotation, which will very likely be bolstered in a big way -- with a trade for a top-of-the-rotation arm seeming likely.

Regarding the bullpen? 

The relief corps will look a lot different in 2026 -- and the team will feel a lot different -- withEdwin Diazleaving to sign a three-year deal with the Dodgers.

The hope when the Mets signed Devin Williams was that his addition was part one, with the return of Diaz being part two.

With that possibility out the window, New York has serious work to do.

As the Mets go about that, here's how things are shaking out...

The Locks

Williams, Brooks Raley, and A.J. Minter. 

And Minter, who missed most of last season after surgery to repair a torn lat, could be a few weeks behind to start the season.

Ryan Helsley signed with the Orioles, while Tyler Rogers and Gregory Soto -- acquired, like Helsley, at last season's trade deadline -- are free agents.

Ryne Stanek is also a free agent, and Drew Smith's option for 2026 was declined. Smith had been working his way back from Tommy John surgery.

Meanwhile, Reed Garrett and Dedniel Núñez are both expected to miss the entire season after undergoing TJS.

Williams is penciled in as the closer, while Raley and Minter are both legitimate late-game weapons.

Raley was tremendous in 2025 after returning from his own Tommy John surgery. In 30 appearances over 25.2 innings, he posted a 2.45 ERA (2.12 FIP) and 0.77 WHIP.

The Internal Candidates

Huascar Brazoban figures to be in the mix again, and hard-throwing prospects Dylan Ross and Ryan Lambert could also be a factor.

Other relievers who could compete for roles include Jonathan Pintaro (who made his big league debut last season), Adbert Alzolay (who is on a two-year minor league deal and missed the 2025 season), Justin Hagenman, Brandon Waddell, Richard Lovelady, Alex Carrillo, and Joey Gerber.

But in an eight-man bullpen that has only three locks as of now (and perhaps just two if Minter is delayed), it's fair to believe the Mets will only rely on one or perhaps two of the aforementioned internal candidates out of the gate.

That means there is more work to do.

The External Candidates

Everything is on the table now that Diaz is gone.

Re-signing him should've been the easiest move the Mets made all offseason. But here we are. 

That they not only lost Diaz, but saw him leave on a three-year deal to the team they'll almost have to certainly go through in the National League playoffs was stunning.

No matter what happened at the end of the Diaz negotiations, it's very difficult to square it.

In effect, the Mets lost a player who said over and over that he wanted to be in New York over a matter of $3 million. 

With Diaz gone, the top option to fill the vacant late-inning role could be Robert Suarez, who is entering his age-35 season and has a scintillating fastball. The Mets have shown interest in Suarez, and it's fair to wonder if he can possibly be had on a two-year at a higher average annual value than the one he just opted out of. 

There's also Pete Fairbanks, who is entering his age-32 season and has been one of the best relievers in baseball since 2020. He's on the market after his option was declined by the cost-conscious Rays. 

Other intriguing free agent relief arms include Kenley Jansen, Emilio Pagan, Luke Weaver, and Kyle Finnegan. In the case of Jansen, it's possible he would want to close since he's chasing the 500-save mark. 

In an ideal world, the Mets will land Suarez on a two-year deal and have him be the setup man for Williams, with the hope that Williams' stuff will shine through after a relatively down 2025.

What kind of team would commit $141 million to two closers?

The one that won last year. The one that won this year. The one that plans to win again next year.

“All I have to say to you,” Dodgers owner Mark Walter told fans at the team’s World Series championship celebration last month, “is we’ll be back next year.”

The Dodgers handed Tanner Scott $72 million last winter. It hasn’t worked out. So, on Tuesday, the Dodgers handed Edwin Díaz $69 million.

Read more:Dodgers and Edwin Díaz agree to terms in blockbuster move to shore up bullpen

If the Dodgers are going to be Exhibit A for Walter’s rival owners to cry about how desperately they need a salary cap, bring it on. If Walter’s rival owners demand that players be locked out next winter and not be allowed back until they relent and accept a salary cap, well, bring that on too.

There is a sentence players are taught to utter: “I can’t worry about what I can’t control.” The Díaz signing is basically the Dodgers’ ownership saying the same thing: “We can’t worry about other owners pointing their fingers at us. We’re here to win. If the rules change, then we’ll worry about that.”

Or maybe not.

“Honestly, I think that we have an organization that, whatever rules or regulations or constructs are put in front of us,’’ Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Monday, “we're going to dominate.”

In what they call their golden age, the Dodgers are chasing history. No team had won back-to-back championships in 25 years. Next up: tying the major league record of 14 consecutive postseason appearances, and becoming the first National League team to win the World Series in three consecutive years.

“What’s better than two?” Roberts hollered at the World Series celebration. “Three! Three-peat! Three-peat! Let’s go!”

It ain’t bragging if you can back it up. For the first time in what will be his third season with the Dodgers — and after winning consecutive most valuable player awards — Shohei Ohtani should be available to pitch and hit for the entire season.

“I’m ready to get another ring next year,” Ohtani said at the celebration.

Mookie Betts, the only active player to win four championships, will come off a Gold Glove-nominated year in his first full season at shortstop and, presumably, will not have to fight off an illness like the one that derailed his strength and hampered his offense at the start of last season.

“I got four,” Betts told the celebration crowd. “Now it’s time to fill the hand all the way up, baby. ‘Three-peat’ ain’t never sounded so sweet. Somebody make that a T-shirt.”

Roberts stirred some conversation last week when he told the Amazon Prime show “Good Sports” that he would support a salary cap.

“You know what? I’m all right with that,” Roberts said. “I think the NBA has done a nice job of revenue sharing with the players and the owners. But if you’re going to suppress spending at the top, I think that you’ve got to raise the floor, to make those bottom-feeders spend money, too.”

The owners of those bottom-feeders ought to be aware of that, because they would have to spend, and they would not be able to point their finger at the Dodgers. The owners, after all, are pitching a salary cap to the public as a cure for competitive balance.

The Dodgers would welcome that challenge. A salary cap would limit salaries, but it would not limit spending on coaching, analytics, biometrics, facilities, nutrition, team planes, and other areas in which the Dodgers’ owners have earned championship rewards for their significant investments.

For now, though, the Dodgers needed a closer. The Dodgers got the best one available in free agency, a guy who has struck out at least one-third of opposing batters in each of his past seven seasons and has limited opponents to a batting average under .200 in each of his past five seasons.

Would the Dodgers like to get younger? Yes. Did they field the oldest group of position players in the majors last year? Yes. Do the Dodgers now have Díaz and Scott for the next three years, and do both turn 32 next year? Also yes.

Read more:Dodgers downplay Teoscar Hernández rumors, continue assessing bullpen options

But, given where both the Dodgers and Major League Baseball are right now, this might be the more pertinent question for the Dodgers: Can Díaz become the first Dodgers reliever to close out a World Series clincher since Steve Howe in 1981? (Orel Hershiser did the honors in 1988, followed by Julio Urias in 2020, Walker Buehler in 2024 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 2025.)

If you believed the Dodgers were ruining baseball, then the signing of Díaz will only intensify that. After all, 11 teams did not open last season with a payroll of $141 million — the combined value of the Díaz and Scott contracts.

And, if enough owners believe the Dodgers are ruining baseball, then those owners can find a solution short of a salary cap — or they can set fire to the game, and to the momentum generated by a global superstar leading an internationally popular team, and an internationally popular World Series.

The Dodgers cannot resolve that by themselves. They can act in their best interest, and on Tuesday they did.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

White Sox win MLB Draft Lottery, will pick first overall in 2026 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Chicago White Sox will own the top pick in the 2026 MLB Draft after winning the draft lottery on Tuesday.

The White Sox finished the 2025 MLB season with the second-worst record in baseball, going 60-102 a year after setting an MLB record for most losses in a single season.

After the 2025 season the White Sox were ineligible to participate in the draft lottery because they had won a slot in the 2024 draft, but this time around they had the best odds of capturing the top pick, with a more than 27% chance of earning that selection.

That is exactly what happened during the MLB Draft Lottery at the winter meetings on Tuesday, meaning that the White Sox will have the chance to add an explosive player to their farm system.

The Tampa Bay Rays vaulted up to the second slot in the draft order, with the Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates rounding out the top-five.

The Kansas City Royals will pick six, meaning that three of the top-six picks are owned by American League Central clubs.

According to Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline, the 2026 draft class is loaded with college positional players, headlined by UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron, and Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress.

High school shortstops Grady Emerson and Jacob Lombard are also at the top of the projected draft list, along with LSU outfielder Derek Curiel.

The 2026 MLB Draft will take place July 12-13, 2026 in Philadelphia as part of the league’s All-Star weekend.

‘We've always wanted him back': Rob Thomson boasts about Kyle Schwarber's return originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ORLANDO – He’s back. That’s designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.

He’s extended. That’s manager Rob Thomson.

The slugger and the skipper of the Phillies were rewarded early Tuesday morning, Schwarber with a 5-year, $150 million deal and Thomson with an extension through the 2027 season.

Expected to be the first big signing of the MLB Winter Meetings, Schwarber indeed was and now will be with the Phillies through the 3030 season. In his four years in Philadelphia, this year’s National League runner-up has averaged close to 47 home runs and 109 RBI. Schwarber played in all 162 games this past season and posted career-highs with 56 home runs and 132 RBI.

An unquestionable leader in the clubhouse, Schwarber was offered a reported four-year, close to $120 million deal by the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier in the week. The Baltimore Orioles reportedly offered the same deal as the Phillies, but Schwarber decided to stay put. Others that appeared to want the services of the soon-to-be 33-year-old were the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and his hometown Cincinnati Reds.

Aside from the home runs and RBI, Schwarber has improved in each of his seasons with the team as an overall hitter. Consider that during his first two campaigns, Schwarber combined for 40 doubles, 241 hits, struck out 415 times and had a .207 batting average. The past two seasons, those numbers have improved to 45 doubles, 287 hits, 394 strikeouts and a .244 average.

“We’ve always wanted him back,” said Thomson. “He’s so different than most of the guys I’ve ever been around because he’s a great player, one, and he knows how to bring the heartbeat of the clubhouse down when things are going rough. Not only the clubhouse but individuals as well. He’s just a huge part of our ball club. (The fans) love him and I really think that he loves playing in Philadelphia. I really do. He does so much in the community, so much in the clubhouse. There’s more to him than there are a lot of guys cause he just brings a lot to a lot of different people.”

 And Schwarber will continue to be until he plays out the last year of this contract at the age of 37. Despite the advanced age, the manager believes that the player who just signed the largest contract for a designated hitter will still be of value.

“I think just his work ethic,” Thomson said. “The body has gotten better over time. He’s in the best shape of his life right now. I don’t think that that’s going to change. He’s so intelligent. He sees the game a little bit different than a lot of other guys. He works at it, watches a lot of film. I think there’s a really good chance that he’s going to maintain this level. This was a really good year for him. I don’t think we can expect this every year. But I still think he’s going to be a high-level performer.”

After a couple of seasons at the leadoff spot, Thomson switched his power-hitter to the two spot, behind leadoff hitter Trea Turner and ahead of Bryce Harper, and it produced the best offensive season for Schwarber. Turner won the National League batting title with a .304 average and 179 hits, while Harper waded through an injury-riddled season posting a .261 average with 27 home runs and 75 RBI.

So, the top third of the lineup is back. Does that mean that Thomson is set on having them in the same spots in the order for the 2026 year? And what if they bring back J.T. Realmuto?

“I’ve got some ideas but I haven’t talked to the players yet, so I don’t want to talk much more about that,” Thomson said. “But I’ve thought long and hard about it.

“There’s going to be some changes even if we sign both those guys back. There’s still going to be some changes. And there might be some change within the lineup as far as the order, which could infuse a little bit of energy. We won 96 games last year, so it’s not like we’re not doing well. We’ve got a good club and no matter what happens we’re still going to have a good club.”

And that is part of the reason Thomson decided to stick around for at least a couple of more seasons. He is only the fourth manager in Major League history to take a team to the playoffs in each of his first four seasons and since taking over in early June of 2022, he has led the team to the second most wins in MLB (346) and second best winning percentage (.580).

“It always comes back, for me, are you having fun, are you enjoying it? Are you getting in somebody’s way? Are you getting in the way of winning? I’m still enjoying it,” said Thomson. “I love the organization. This is the only place I want to go. I don’t want to go anyplace else whenever I’m done because I love the people. And I love the organization from the owner (John Middleton) to Dave (Dombrowski), all our player development people. It’s just a group of people that really come together and want to win baseball games and want to win a championship. And that’s what I love.”

The wheels are still spinning for Dombrowski, Thomson and general manager Preston Mattingly as they not only keep an eye on a potential Realmuto signing, but look for other ways to improve the club. The outfield is of particular interest to the manager.

“I think it can be better, yeah,” said Thomson of the outfield. “We’ve got some ideas and obviously you have to execute those ideas and plans, but I think there’s some good plans in place. Hopefully we can execute it. We can be more productive, but I think the opportunity is there.”

So many plans in place to make sure that somber, tear-filled clubhouse after the season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Divisional Playoff last season doesn’t return.

“Guys were probably a little bit frustrated that we’ve been there and close and haven’t gotten it done and I think that’s great motivation going into next year,” Thomson said. “I think there’s some frustration there. It was a hard-fought battle. Everybody in that clubhouse felt like last year was the year. So, it was heartbreaking, to tell you the truth.”

Tuesday had to further Thomson a bit from that somber memory with the signing of his foundational player and an extension of his own.

“So far, it’s pretty good. It’s been good,” said Thomson of his Tuesday. “Doing a lot of work in the room up there and trying to figure out where we’re at. It’s one of those things where if you sign this guy, ok, we go this way. If you don’t sign this guy, we’ve got to go that way. As long as you have those plans in place you have to execute it, obviously. But so far, so good.”

NOTES

• Thomson said that he has not spoken to reliever Jose Alvarado, who is back home in Venezuela, but expects the lefty to return to spring training in great shape, as he did last year.
• Thomson said he knows that Harper went through an EBOO procedure to help improve circulation, reduce inflammation, fight infections, support immune function and remove toxins and increase energy, but doesn’t know anything about the procedure.
• Asked about Nick Castellanos, Thomson said: “I haven’t talked to him. I still respect Nick. At the end of the day what he wants to do is play every day and you can’t dog a guy for wanting to play every day.”