Some of the league’s biggest stars made headlines at this year’s edition of the MLB Winter Meetings and there were plenty more minor transactions that you may have missed. So, I’m going to recap all the action from the past week right here.
Keep a close eye on the Rotoworld Player News page so you don’t miss any of the action and let’s take a trip around the league.
Pete Alonso
MLB Free Agent Tracker 2025-26: Pete Alonso lands with Orioles, Kyle Schwarber returns to Phillies
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Stay up to date with the MLB free agent market this offseason, including player signings, contract details, and team fits as the 2025-26 Hot Stove heats up.
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D.J. Short
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The Mets Tear Down Their Roster
The MLB Winter Meetings were not kind to Mets fans. One day after Edwin Díaz fled Flushing to join the Dodgers, Pete Alonso took a monster five-year, $155 million contract with the Orioles.
Without these two and Brandon Nimmo, who was traded to the Rangers last month, the longest tenured Met is Jeff McNeil – who’s been involved in his fair share of trade rumors too.
After McNeil? The longest tenured Met is Francisco Lindor. At this moment, he and Juan Soto are the only players on this roster with a non-rookie contract that runs past 2028.
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Clearly Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns wanted to completely transform their roster after a disappointing season that ended with 83 wins after having the league’s best record in mid-May.
So, what comes next?
Devin Williams was brought in on a three-year deal and is their presumptive closer and is likely due for a bounceback. With little competition, he could easily vault himself back into being a top-five closer this coming season.
There are rumors floating around that the Mets are interested in Robert Suarez though, which could muddy the waters.
Desperate for a new first baseman and power hitter, Willson Contreras is a worthwhile target. After allegedly being unwilling to waive his no-trade clause when the offseason began, he’s since softened on that stance and it’s been reported he’d specifically do so for the Mets. Perhaps he could even spell Francisco Alvarez behind the plate to regain that all-powerful catcher eligibility.
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Apart from him and Alonso, the first base market is a bit weak. The wound is still fresh, so the Mets have not been heavily connected to other replacements yet. Mark Vientos is an internal option, albeit more likely a fit at designated hitter.
Before this mass exodus, starting pitching was supposed to be the Mets’ greatest need this winter. The only one they’ve been connected with Michael King. Otherwise, it’s anyone’s guess as to what direction they’ll turn.
Maybe this turnover means they’ll be more willing to give their young players opportunities to play.
Nolan McLean is likely to start on opening day and is enjoying some top-30 starting pitcher helium. Stearns has explicitly stated that Carson Benge has a shot to break camp with the club. Brett Baty has full runway at third base. Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, and Christian Scott will mix into the rotation depth (if they aren’t traded for more proven pieces). Young flamethrowers Ryan Lambert and Dylan Ross could be in the mix for holds if anyone out there needs a deep dynasty relief pitcher spec.
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However, these are still Steve Cohen’s Mets. A spending spree that includes Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez, Cody Bellinger and other marquee free agents is never off the table.
Regardless, their path forward will be fascinating to track.
More Hot Stove Quick Hits
◆ Kyle Schwarber is returning to the Phillies on a five-year, $150 million deal. It’s a surprise he wound up getting less money for the same number of years as Alonso. It’s equally as surprising that the Orioles matched the Phillies’ offer for the left-handed slugger.
Regardless, Schwarber is a good bet to remain an elite power hitter longer than most players who are entering their age-33 season.
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Two years ago, he hit below the Mendoza Line and made a serious swing change in response. Schwarber shortened his swing from 7.9 feet in 2023 to 7.5 feet this past year and somehow did so without sacrificing any bat speed.
Of players with the 10 fastest bats last season (minimum 200 swings), Schwarber has the shortest swing.
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Even if the effects of aging take two ticks off his bat speed over the next few years, it’d be exactly where Alonso’s is today. He is a great bet to continue putting up monster seasons in Philadelphia.
◆ Alonso’s presence on the Orioles leaves huge question marks about both Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo’s roles with the club.
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Mountcastle is less of a pressing concern on the final year of his rookie deal, but Mayo was recently considered one of the best power hitting corner infield prospects in the game, just turned 24, and only has a half season of consistent playing time under his belt.
Could one or both be dangled in a trade for starting pitching? They probably should be at this point unless Baltimore wants to maintain the best fleet of first basemen in the league.
◆ Kyle Finnegan re-upped with the Tigers on a two-year, $19 million contract to presumably share closing duties with Will Vest.
After coming over from the Nationals at the trade deadline last season, Finnegan had a 38.8% strikeout rate in August, didn’t allow an earned run, and converted all four of his save chances.
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Then, he suffered a right adductor strain while warming up one game, spent three weeks on the shelf, struggled to close the season, and didn’t have his same strikeout stuff through the playoffs.
Still, it’s fair to bet on some of that strikeout stuff returning. While it was far out of line with his career 23.0% strikeout rate as a National, Finnegan made a big adjustment with the Tigers to throw far more splitters than he had before.
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That pitch had a better than 50% whiff rate last August and gives Finnegan a chance to beat his strikeout projections while being a safe bet for some saves with a great home park to boot.
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◆ Shane Bieber reportedly dealt with forearm fatigue toward the end of the season. That makes what seemed like a peculiar decision to exercise his $16 million option feel obvious in hindsight.
Also, it casts light on the Blue Jays jumping the starting pitcher market for a frontline guy in Dylan Cease and a depth piece in Cody Ponce.
Alarm bells are ringing loud and clear with Bieber who just returned from Tommy John surgery this past August and has only put together one season with more than 130 innings since 2019. He’s someone to avoid in early drafts.
◆ Mike Yastrzemski agreed to a two-year, $23 million deal with the Braves Wednesday evening. He could jostle with Jurickson Profar to become
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◆ Steven Matz will join the Rays on a two-year, $15 million contract. That tells us that his role could oscillate between the back of the rotation and bullpen.
◆ Braves manager Walt Weiss was non-committal on Reynaldo López being a member of their rotation calling him a “nice fallback option” for their bullpen. He’s found success as starter, but also had a season marred by injuries last year and could wind up in relief if health concerns pop up again. Or, if Atlanta makes a play for a free agent starter or someone like Freddy Peralta on the trade market.
◆ Vaughn Grissom is joining the litany of former top prospects on the Angels. He’s never shown the tools to be a big league regular, but will only be 25 this season. The worst case scenario would be him and Christian Moore taking reps from one another, but there should be enough playing time to go around in Anaheim.
◆ Gregory Soto signed a one-year deal with the Pirates and could siphon off some saves from Dennis Santana.
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◆ The Rule 5 Draft was on Wednesday and there are a few players to watch from it.
RJ Petit is a 6-foot, 8-inch, 300 pound behemoth that could work his way into the high leverage mix for the Rockies. Daniel Susac is a catcher with pop that was a first round pick in 2022 and has a chance to take some reps from the offensively challenged Patick Bailey in San Francisco. Peyton Pallette has serious strikeout stuff and joins a Guardians’ club that’s known for developing relievers.
As a reminder, Rule 5 Draft players are required to spend the entire season on the major league team that drafted them or be returned to their original club.
◆ The stove is still hot and there’s going to be a lot of action over the coming weeks. Make sure to keep up the Rotoworld Player News page so you don’t miss any of the action plus live stream and video content here all next week!
