After a disappointing end to the 2025 season, the New York Mets front office took matters into their own hands and made drastic roster changes. However, the fans were not prepared for the extent to which these moves would impact the rest of the team. Some of the notable losses include losing Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers, losing Edwin Diaz to the LA Dodgers, and most unforgivable to many Mets fans, Pete Alonso to Baltimore.
Just before last season, many teams looked into Alonso, but ultimately, New York made him the better offer, so he stuck around. Since then, he has proved his worth tremendously, leading to the big contract signing in early December.
On December 10th, Pete Alonso signed with the Baltimore Orioles for 5 years with a whopping $155 million contract, according to Yahoo Sports. Reacting to Alonso signing with the Orioles, famous Mets superfan Frank the Tank from Barstool Sports said that the situation now is worse than the one created by former Mets owner, the Wilpons. Alonso’s presence will be dearly missed, as he was able to stand out on both sides of the diamond.
Not only was Alonso a major asset to the clubhouse, he was a home-grown fan favorite. Many Mets fans, myself included, who have his jersey will need to go shopping before Opening Day. The Mets should have offered Alonso a contract even though it may not have been what he was looking for monetarily. Alonso was in search of a long-term deal, as his contract was running out, and the Mets did not feel comfortable offering that kind of money to a soon-to-be veteran.
In an attempt to replace Alonso at first base, General Manager David Stearns signed former Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco. Fans have expressed discomfort and concern because Polanco has little to no MLB experience at this position. He is doing his part to train for the role, but only the season will show if he is truly fit to play there.
Mets’ longtime outfielder, Brandon Nimmo, was shipped off to Texas in exchange for veteran Gold Glover and All-Star second baseman, Marcus Semien. Nimmo was the longest tenured Met, making his debut with the club in 2016 and playing through the 2025 regular MLB season. He was a leader in the clubhouse and incredibly nice to the fans, which truly makes him the backbone of the organization.
After this trade, it became apparent that major roster changes were imminent. Free agent Edwin Diaz was the next to go. He signed a 3-year $69 million deal with back-to-back World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was later reported by Ken Rosenthal, a journalist at The Athletic, that the Mets had offered Diaz $66 million and could have easily matched the Dodgers’ offer. Mets fans are anxious, because Diaz would often pitch in must-win situations. Many of these fans argue that he needed his emotional support base runners since he would walk the first couple of batters on several pitches in the dirt, but would then proceed to strike out the side. Watching the 31-year-old closer was always an emotional roller coaster.
However, right before New York lost Diaz to the Dodgers, Mets’ general manager David Stearns signed right-handed reliever Devin Williams, who many assumed would be a late-inning set-up man for Diaz to come in and close.
Several weeks later came the Jeff McNeil trade. McNeil, a former Batting Title Champion, who has struggled immensely in recent seasons, was sent to the Athletics with several million dollars in exchange for a 17-year-old pitching prospect. At this point, many Mets fans were both confused and outraged, collectively doubting Stearn’s abilities, wondering why he would get rid of the Mets’ core players. Stearns was under significant pressure to turn the Mets into a playoff-contending team, but it did not look like that was his main objective from the get-go, since he did not prioritize resigning some big names. But after a season like that, what else could he have done? The Mets missed the playoffs by just one game due to the fact that they could not beat the last-place Miami Marlins. Had they won, they would have advanced to the National League Wildcard Series. However, they did not pull through, and it seems like the front office had enough.
Ultimately, the Mets needed to make these moves because they did not “gel” well as a team, and according to manager Carlos Mendoza, the Mets’ clubhouse last season was “too corporate” and “did not celebrate each other enough.”
Coming off of such a high in 2024, where they made it as far as the National League Championship Series, just to lose to the Marlins and miss the playoffs was outrageous. Not only did the players change, but the clubhouse dynamic did too. Last season proved that you can have several strong leaders and great players on the team, but if they cannot play well together, it is a waste, which we can assume is predominantly why Stearns did not make major offers to any of the Mets’ free agents. It is the same reason why outfielders Starling Marte and Jesse Winker were not re-signed, as well as pitchers Griffin Canning, Ryne Stanek, and Tyler Rogers.
Following the December loadout, the Mets began to replace the players who were no longer on the team. The first notable move made in the Mets’ favor was trading for Chicago White Sox outfielder, Luis Robert Jr. The New York Post noted Robert Jr.’s offensive struggles over the past couple of years, but he is still considered a marquee player due to his elite defense in center field. New York made headlines again by signing former Toronto Blue Jays star shortstop Bo Bichette, a guy whom division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, had their eye on. Bichette made an appearance in the World Series last season and had an impressive regular-season batting average of .311. Just days later, the Mets traded for All-Star pitcher Freddy Peralta. The Mets made a two-for-two trade with the Milwaukee Brewers to send pitchers Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers to New York, in exchange for Mets top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. Amid all of these changes, Diaz and Alonso remain the biggest losses to the organization, but Stearns has already taken steps to begin the process of playing new guys in their spots.
With these new roster changes in mind, the Mets look like strong competitors for this upcoming season. The depth added to the pitching rotation will not go unnoticed this year. The bullpen could be stronger, but now it is up to the starters to do their best to set up the late-inning guys to succeed. The bench is solid, and the farm system looks even better. Despite losing many fan favorites and core players, the Mets have a real chance of contending for a playoff spot this upcoming season. New York is definitely not a team to sleep on this season.
