NEW YORK -- After spending their Winter Meetings watching Pete Alonso go to Baltimore and Edwin Díaz head to Los Angeles, without bringing in any Major League players of their own, the Mets must soon answer the question on everyone’s mind: What exactly is the plan here?
So far this offseason, the Mets have made two major moves, trading Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers for Marcus Semien and signing Devin Williams to become their closer. Even after those acquisitions, president of baseball operations David Stearns has clear needs across the diamond, which he has vowed to address.
Remember, this isn’t a rebuild; it’s a reimagining of the roster.
With that in mind, here’s a look at how the Mets could proceed over the coming weeks:
First base
Replacing Alonso will be no easy task, and the reality is the Mets probably won’t fill first base with a player better than him. That said, they’re also unlikely just to default to an internal solution like Mark Vientos -- that wouldn’t move the needle enough.
Instead, the Mets can pursue someone like Cody Bellinger, a versatile free agent who can play multiple outfield positions in addition to first base. Or they can dip into the Japanese market for Munetaka Murakami or Kazuma Okamoto, two power-hitting NPB stars who are coming stateside this winter. Murakami has the highest offensive upside, while Okamoto is the better fielder. The trade market includes St. Louis’ Willson Contreras, who’s a three-time All-Star.
Ultimately, what the Mets do at first may partially depend on what they do in the outfield. If they land a big bat for left or center field, the Mets would be less incentivized to sell out for offense at a corner infield spot. If they rely instead on lesser outfield options, they’ll need to go big at first to replace Alonso’s production.
Outfield
The prize here is Kyle Tucker, widely considered the top overall player on the free-agent market. Entering his age-29 season, Tucker is still smack in the middle of his physical prime. But that means he’ll almost certainly command a multiyear megadeal. Signing him would require committing more than a billion dollars long term to Tucker and Juan Soto.
If that sort of thing does not enthuse the Mets, they could look instead to the more versatile Bellinger. The market drops off precipitously from there, which means at some point this offseason, Stearns figures to dig into his cell phone to call up trade partners. Early reports out of Minnesota are that the Twins won’t deal star center fielder Byron Buxton. If that’s true, could Boston’s Jarren Duran instead come into play? Cleveland’s Steven Kwan? Options do exist, even if there’s a narrow path for the Mets to improve here.
Internally, Mets officials want to keep space open for their top position-player prospect, Carson Benge, to contribute this season. He can play left or center field. The Mets are also bullish on youngsters Jett Williams, Nick Morabito and A.J. Ewing. While it’s possible none of those players win Opening Day jobs, they could still be part of the 2026 mix.
Rotation
If the Mets are serious about improving the roster, they must make the rotation better. Questions surround every returning Mets starter, even including rookie Nolan McLean. While McLean may be an ace already, he can’t solidify that standing until he gets more innings under his belt.
Other internal options include Brandon Sproat, Jonah Tong, Christian Scott, Sean Manaea, David Peterson, Clay Holmes and Kodai Senga. They can’t all make the rotation even if the Mets land zero outside help. The big question here is whether they might spring a trade for a frontline starter such as Tarik Skubal or Sandy Alcantara, or rely instead on lesser additions. Rumor has it the Mets don’t want to extend ultra-long offers to top free agents like Framber Valdez or Tatsuya Imai. If that’s the case, the trade market may be their tidiest solution.
Bullpen
One of the most persistent Winter Meetings rumors connected the Mets to former Padres closer Robert Suarez, who could theoretically set up Williams in Flushing. With Díaz gone, however, the Mets need to bring in more than just Suarez. The bullpen is always one of the most difficult areas to predict, and the Mets are likely to fill multiple holes through a combination of free-agent and trade acquisitions, perhaps even a waiver claim. In the wake of Díaz’s signing, they know there’s significant work to be done.