What's next for Mets, Dodgers & more after Schwarber, Díaz deals

With the news of Kyle Schwarber returning to the Phillies and Edwin Díaz joining the Dodgers, we asked MLB insider Mark Feinsand to break down what this might mean for the rest of the market.

1) With the Mets losing Díaz after signing Devin Williams, do they pivot for another back-end bullpen piece, such as Robert Suarez? And does this increase the odds of Pete Alonso coming back?

The Mets clearly need to add another late-inning reliever, so Suarez is among the options that make sense. That said, whomever they sign won’t cost as much as Díaz, leaving some more money for them to pursue a reunion with Alonso. Losing both Díaz and Alonso -- two of their most popular players -- would certainly be a gut punch to the fan base. The sticking point between the Mets and Alonso could very well be years, as sources say that the Mets may be hesitant to go more than three years with the first baseman.

2) With the Dodgers signing Díaz, does this make it less likely they sign Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger (or any other big name free agents)?

It’s naïve to rule out the Dodgers when it comes to any big-ticket free agent, but their need for Tucker or Bellinger is not as dire as some of the other teams pursuing the outfielders. I would be surprised if either of them winds up in Los Angeles, but it’s certainly not an impossibility.

3) It always seemed like Schwarber was the Phillies' top priority to re-sign among their group of free agents. Now that they got that done, is J.T. Realmuto next?

Schwarber was clearly the Phillies’ number one priority, so I would assume that they will now turn their attention to Realmuto. The catching market is very thin on the free-agent front, and there aren’t a whole lot of options on the trade market, either. Now that they have the Schwarber deal done, I would expect Realmuto to be next on their to-do list.

4) It was interesting to see teams like the Reds and Pirates get involved in the Schwarber bidding. Was this a unique situation for this particular player or does it signal that, having lost out on him, they might pursue another major free agent?

Schwarber was the perfect fit for both of their lineups, so I would tend to think that he was an exception to the rule. I don’t see the Reds pursuing any of the major free agents out there at this point, but the Pirates are certainly looking to be aggressive and will be surveying all options out there. That said, I could see them trying to sign two or three mid-level free agents rather than going big on one superstar.