🚨 JUST IN: Philadelphia tightens its grip on the NL East while Pete Alonso’s situation adds another layer of chaos to the Mets’ rough offseason ⚡.DD
The Mets lost two significant players in two days.
The offseason has gone pretty well for the Philadelphia Phillies so far, especially after re-signing Kyle Schwarber to a five-year, $150 million contract on Tuesday.
The Phillies have benefited more from how poorly the MLB Winter Meetings went for one of their division rivals, the New York Mets.
On Tuesday, New York lost their closer Edwin Díaz when the Los Angeles Dodgers signed the right-hander to a three-year, $69 million contract.
Losing a key piece of their bullpen to the back-to-back World Series champions is a big loss but their latest strategy, or lack thereof, in dealing with free agent Pete Alonso is perplexing.
The Baltimore Orioles offered Schwarber the same contract that the Phillies did, but the power hitter preferred to return to Philadelphia.
After coming up short of signing the runner-up to the 2025 NL MVP award, Baltimore remained tenacious in adding a big offensive piece to their club.
They succeeded in their goal as they agreed to a five-year, $155 million contract with Pete Alonso on Wednesday afternoon.
Mets suffer another huge loss in free agency after Orioles sign away Pete Alonso
According to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, the Mets front office didn’t even make an offer to Alonso, indicating they didn’t want to bring him back on an expensive deal like the Orioles offered.
Following the Mets’ collapse in the second half of the season, which resulted in missing the playoffs after leading the National League East during the summer, it’s understandable why the organization would be intrigued by making some roster changes.
However, shouldn’t Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns at least have made an offer to the 31-year-old slugger?
Losing two key pieces in Díaz and Alonso on consecutive days after one of their division rivals re-signed one of their own core players isn’t a good look for the Mets. New York can still salvage their tough few days by agreeing to a multi-year deal with either Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger.
The Mets need to improve their outfield after trading Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien on Nov. 24.
If their crosstown rival, the New York Yankees, don’t re-sign Bellinger or are unable to agree to a deal with Tucker and the Mets add one of these outfielders, that will brighten a tough week a bit for one of the Phillies’ NL East foes.
However, losing their top power hitter in Alonso will cause some issues for the Mets’ lineup next year, depending on how they make up for it this winter.
The Tampa, Florida, native has played in all 162 regular season contests in consecutive seasons.
He finished with 38 home runs,126 RBIs, and posted a .272/.347/.524 line with a .871 OPS in 2025.
The Orioles’ lineup, on the other hand, receives a huge boost as they are looking to make the postseason next year following a difficult 2025 due to several injuries.
The Mets’ loss of their top home run hitter looks like the Phillies’ gain at the moment, depending on New York’s next moves this offseason.
