1. Mets turns the page on an era:
The departure of Edwin Diaz And Pete Alonso during the Winter Meetings, in combination with last month’s trading Brandon Nimmomeans the Mets’ three longest-tenured players will all be playing elsewhere in 2026. President of baseball operations David Stearns was already under intense pressure this winter to improve the roster after a disappointing year in which his club missed the postseason in Juan Soto‘s first season on the roster. Now that Diaz and Alonso are officially out of the organization, that pressure is even greater.
How will the Mets respond to these losses? A pursuit of Munetaka Murakami or Kazuma Okamoto it might make sense to replace Alonso at first base, and Robert Suarez remains a logical replacement for Diaz (alongside Devin Williams) in the ninth inning next year. However, these replacements will not be sufficient on their own. New York still desperately needs help in the outfield and continues to look for help at the front of their rotation. Landing a top free agent like Kyle Tucker in the outfield or Tatsuya Imai in the rotation would certainly help fans in Queens overcome the losses of franchise stalwarts like Alonso this winter.
2. What’s next for the Orioles?
On the other side of the coin, fans in Baltimore cheered as their club finally made the big impression they had been hoping for for years. With Alonso in charge for the next five seasons, it seems unlikely the Orioles will take their foot off the gas pedal. They remain committed to the high-end rotation piece market, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see them add someone like that Framber Valdez at the front of their rotation in free agency alongside Alonso. Of course, the free agent market isn’t the only available avenue for improvement. The addition of Alonso displaces Coby Mayo And Ryan Mountcastle on the team’s depth chart, and Mayo in particular could be the kind of high-end trade chip that makes a top starter in the trade, like Edward Cabrera or MacKenzie Gore (both of whom Baltimore has connected with this winter) the more feasible. What’s next for president of baseball operations Mike Elias?
3. When will the dam break on the rotation market?
Despite all the activities in and around this year’s winter meetings, things have remained quiet on the rotation front this winter. The reliever market has been busy all winter and there are only a handful of the best closure options available. The market for position players was slower, but hitters started coming off the board after that Kyle Schwarber re-staged in Philadelphia, with Alonso and Mike Yastrzemski both signed yesterday. Furthermore, every top free agent starter remains on the market Dylan stopshowever, and the trade market has seen no movement beyond the addition of the Red Sox Son Gray And Johan Oviedo.
Will things start to move in the coming days? It is certainly possible. This week’s meetings certainly sparked some important conversations between buyers and sellers in the trade markets, giving teams like the Mets, Orioles and Cubs a better idea of ​​which starters might actually be viable for them, while sellers like the Marlins and Nationals could see which teams could come close to their asking price. Meanwhile, in the free agency sector, some reports have indicated that Imai will be visiting teams now that the Winter Meetings have concluded with a view to signing before the holidays. Given that Imai’s post window closes on January 2, the right-hander’s free agency could potentially serve as a catalyst that prompts the larger market to kick into gear.
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