The Polar Bear is heading south. Are the Mets next?
Free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso, the New York Mets’ franchise leader in home runs, has agreed to a five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles. The contract, first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, puts an abrupt end to a wildly successful, seven-year tenure in Queens for the hulking slugger.
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Last winter, Alonso tested the open market, but unable to secure a long-term pact, he returned to the club that drafted him in 2016. Many believed a similar dynamic would play out this offseason. Instead, agent Scott Boras landed his client, who trails only Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber in long balls since 2019, a record deal with a refreshingly aggressive Baltimore team.
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For the Mets, it’s the second shocking exit in as many days following longtime closer Edwin Díaz’s reported signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday. Add the trade of outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in November, and the Mets have parted ways with three of their five longest-tenured players in the span of a few weeks. Only Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil remain from a core that defined recent team history.
It’s clear that New York’s calamitous 2025 season convinced president of baseball operations David Stearns that a roster shake-up was necessary. But now the Mets’ faithful, sad to see three beloved players leave town, are growing antsy. The entire dynamic makes New York perhaps the most compelling team as this offseason rounds first and heads for second.
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Here are the five questions that will define the rest of this very important Mets winter.
1. To whom is the money going?
The Mets finished 2025 with a payroll right around $340 million, the second-highest total in the sport behind the Dodgers. At present, according to FanGraphs, that figure sits at “only” $279 million. Given owner Steve Cohen’s unlimited wealth, it’s hard to envision the Mets cutting payroll by such a large amount after one of the most embarrassing seasons in recent memory.
Stearns has been forthcoming about his desire to upgrade New York’s run-prevention unit. It would make sense then to spend some of that coin on a starting pitcher. Three no-doubt frontline arms remain on the market: Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez and Japanese newcomer Tatsuya Imai. One of that trio, surely, has to finish the winter in blue and orange. Plus, while former Brewers and Yankees closer Devin Williams already inked a three-year, $51 million deal, the Mets need at least one other bullpen addition.
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Kyle Tucker, the class’ consensus top position player, is another possible pivot, but locking two subpar defenders into the corner outfield spots doesn’t seem to align with Stearns’ vision. Third baseman Alex Bregman, though, would make a lot of sense for the Mets. Either way, no single player is replacing Alonso’s power production, but Cohen has enough cash to enter 2026 as a World Series contender.
2. Can they pull off a blockbuster trade?
Despite the disappointment of 2025, the Mets are an organization in a healthy place. Stearns has revitalized New York’s player development apparatus, helping to turn the system into one of baseball’s best. Guys such as Carson Benge and Jett Williams should be boosting the lineup sooner rather than later. The Mets also have a plethora of talented, young infielders at the big-league level — Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuña and Ronnie Mauricio — and not enough spots to play them. Then there’s the trio of rookie hurlers in Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat.
That’s all to say that if the Mets want to swing a deal for a Tarik Skubal or a Ketel Marte or a McKenzie Gore, they most certainly have the pieces. Skubal, the back-to-back AL Cy Young winner, would be the type of needle-moving prize that would placate the fan base, but it remains unlikely that the Tigers trade their ace this winter.
3. Who is the Opening Day center fielder?
With the team placing a renewed emphasis on defense, it’ll be interesting whom they tap to man the outfield’s most important position. Options currently on the roster include Tyrone Taylor and Jeff McNeil, who looks primed to pick up some innings at first base in the wake of Alonso’s departure. And while Taylor has an above-average glove, his bat cratered to concerning levels in 2025.
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That presents an issue for the Mets, who can’t look to free agency to remedy this problem. Cody Bellinger is solid in center but fits best as an elite glove in a corner. There’s not really another no-doubt option available, though Harrison Bader, coming off a career year, is a decent second-tier option. The Mets love Benge and Williams, both of whom can play center, and don’t want to block their development. But prospects are fickle, unpredictable. Maybe Stearns is simply content with Taylor as a placeholder until the youngsters are ready.
4. Do they offload a veteran arm?
The most damning development of the 2025 Mets’ season was the sudden implosion of what had been one of the game’s best starting rotations. That entire unit — save for the injured and released Frankie Montas — will be back for 2026. Rookie Nolan McLean shined in an eight-start sample and is the early front-runner to get the ball on Opening Day. Beyond that, it’s a bit of a mess.
Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, David Peterson and Clay Holmes are all 30 or older and coming off horrific second halves. The arrival of an established free agent would only add another cook to a kitchen that has to include Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat in some form. It’s never bad to have pitching depth, but this feels like a dynamic the Mets need to transact their way out of.
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5. How much does fan frustration actually matter?
The vibes in Queens right now are no bueno. Following such a shameful campaign by letting two franchise icons walk in free agency because you balked at the prices isn’t going to motivate fans to buy season-ticket packages. Last season, Steve Cohen made a public plea to Mets fans to pack Citi Field. And they did, posting some of the league’s top attendance numbers. But unless Cohen, Stearns and Co. conjure a magic trick, the fan base is probably going to be a bit lukewarm heading into 2026.
Whether that motivates leadership to do something flashy remains to be seen. Manager Carlos Mendoza often says that winning fixes everything. In the end, if the Mets win, people will show up; if they don’t, the park will be half-empty. So it goes. But the current state of things presents a stark contrast to the vibe in Queens a winter ago in the wake of the Juan Soto signing.
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Stearns deserves credit, for what he’s done with the infrastructure, and time, based on what he accomplished in Milwaukee. An offseason cannot be evaluated properly until pencils down on Opening Day. But right now, with a strategy of purposeful passivity, the Mets’ front office is not exactly firing up the fan base.
