OT: New York Mets 2025-2026 Off Season Thread
- Thread starter Knight Shift
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I understand that this core hasn't gotten it done! However, are you stating that Alonso and Diaz are the part of the core that is not getting it done?
I'm saying changing up the core may not be the worst thing. I would have preferred both back but the finished product we end up with might be better than what we would have had they both stayed. It also might not be of course.
It seems to me Stearns wanted Diaz back but Diaz had his own reasons that he wanted to leave and seemed like a bit of a baby about it. Alonso I think Stearns had his price/years on him and if he got him back at that price good. I love Pete but the GM gets paid a lot of money as well to figure this out.
There is a lot of production to be replaced now and Stearns certainly has a lot of work cut out for but I need to see the full off-season before killing him. I certainly understand that a lot of fans will be upset losing so many fan favorites in one off-season but I root for the name on the jersey at the end of the day.
Wow !
The Milwaukee Moron better have something up his sleeve or it’s not going to be a pretty year. Now you have to fight free agents asking what the hell is going on there ??
The Milwaukee Moron better have something up his sleeve or it’s not going to be a pretty year. Now you have to fight free agents asking what the hell is going on there ??
I'm crushed, and i'm devastated for my Alonso obsessed 8 year old. I can't believe i have to break this news to him after school today, just bruuuutal
It was a long time ago, but I once had an eight year old who idolized Drazen Petrovic, who frickin' DIED. My son cried when he heard the news, but he got over it. As will your son. As will you.
Is it me or since NYC got him his money making casino, have Steven Cohen’s focus have shifted to that instead of the Mets?
Worth 22.5 billion - 8 billion
14.5 billion still would be ahead of number #2 blue jays owner Rogers at 13 billion
plus he will be making tons of $$$ once project is completed
14.5 billion still would be ahead of number #2 blue jays owner Rogers at 13 billion
plus he will be making tons of $$$ once project is completed
Smart move by the Mets. Fat Pete is destined to become Chris Davis 2.0. As such, Baltimore is the perfect place for him.
Stearns = Moneyball. The Mets are officially a Moneyball/analytic team. It wouldn't be as much of an issue if Stearns were getting quality players in return. Stearns hasn't done that, and he needs to lose the stupid smirk.
My heart does indeed go out to any family facing any sort of tragedy. Pete Alonso signing with the Orioles does not meet that definition. Yes, it is traumatic. But I am confident it's nothing that Dad can't handle.
@gmay8 - My suggestion would be to remind your son that Pete Alonso can still be his favorite player. It's OK to root for the name on the back of the jersey.
OK - dig deep into the potential FA's available and potential, realistic trades and come up with a improved team for 2026.
Also give me any current deal Stearns has done for the Met's that has been a positive for the Met's. Last year- he had the slam dunk with Soto. But pretty much everything else he did was a disaster. Anything he did in the previous year- helped for a year but then fell off the cliff.
This year- The summary is we let Nimmo, Alonso, Diaz go and have a return of Semien, Williams and a 4th round pick...we are banking on youngsters that were here before Stearns. So really, how are we going to find a way to be better than the Dodgers or ever the Phillies/Braves in Stearns 3rd year?
Again- what potential moves are even available to get them even to last years ****** results?
While it's a shame to lose Alonso and Diaz on back to back days, I'm trying to keep things in perspective. This was a core of fan favorites, but it was also a core that didn't win a whole lot.
2019: 86-76 - No playoffs
2020: 26-34 - No playoffs
2021: 77-85 - No playoffs
2022: 101-61 - Late division collapse, lost in WC round
2023: 75-87 - No playoffs
2024: 89-73 - Great 2nd half, NLCS run
2025: 83-79 - Horrible collapse, no playoffs
That's an average of 84-78 over 7 years. They won a playoff series in just 1 of those seasons. At some point, uncomfortable changes were going to happen.
Maybe it's cope, but its the way I'm choosing to look at it. The Mets netted $50M subtracting Nimmo/Alonso/Diaz and adding Semien. I am no fan of Stearns' "I'm the smartest guy in the room" persona, but there's no way he and Cohen roll into the Spring with this as the final product. If they do, both will rightfully get all that's coming to them.
2019: 86-76 - No playoffs
2020: 26-34 - No playoffs
2021: 77-85 - No playoffs
2022: 101-61 - Late division collapse, lost in WC round
2023: 75-87 - No playoffs
2024: 89-73 - Great 2nd half, NLCS run
2025: 83-79 - Horrible collapse, no playoffs
That's an average of 84-78 over 7 years. They won a playoff series in just 1 of those seasons. At some point, uncomfortable changes were going to happen.
Maybe it's cope, but its the way I'm choosing to look at it. The Mets netted $50M subtracting Nimmo/Alonso/Diaz and adding Semien. I am no fan of Stearns' "I'm the smartest guy in the room" persona, but there's no way he and Cohen roll into the Spring with this as the final product. If they do, both will rightfully get all that's coming to them.
I am not the GM getting paid millions and/or have the insight a MLB front office has. We can only take the moves at they happen. You still have plenty of FA's out there and the team can make any trades they see fit.
Stearns had a great first year. He had a below average second year. Sure he's taking it on the chin now but he has the guts to make the team as he sees fit. I don't know how many years I had to sit here reading how fans wanted to change the core and get rid of Pete or Nimmo or Diaz to one extent or another and now that they're gone everyone wants to whine about it before we even know what the full 2026 roster will look like.
There are plenty of moves out there to get them to 83 wins that Nimmo, Diaz, and Alonso were a part of.
Can't blame Alonso or Diaz when the team was flawed in so many other areas. Can't get to Diaz to close the game when the starting pitching can go more than 4 innings or middle relief implode every game. Those guys did more than what was expected from them. It was others who fail as well as the front office (two different leaders) tripping over dollars to find pennies.
OK- so the core we decide to get rid of -
2019 - Alonso monster year. but yes, Diaz and Nimmo part of the failure. But team 4.03 ERA was the killer
2020 - year really doesn't count - but Pete would have been on pace for 40/110 and Diaz was great
2021 - Alonso with very solid year, Nimmo not full time starter yet but solid year, Diaz solid but not great not any of these 3 that were an issue
2022 - Certainly not any of these 3 had bad years
2023 - Wasnt Pete with his 136 RBI, Nimmo was very good, Diaz injured
2024 - Alonso and Diaz were down but both above average- Nimmo with 90 RBI
2025 - Alonso, Nimmo, Diaz 3 of their top 5 performers. This was the year of the starting pitching collapse
So- I am not seeing the correlation of the 3 guys we lose and the core not getting it done.
I'm not saying that they were the problem here - I genuinely loved them all. But the reality is that this core was about to enter it's 8th year here. Add Soto to the mix and that's $170M between them - which would be the 6th highest total payroll in MLB among that core + Soto. Cohen has been here 5 years now. How much longer was he going to wait for these high-priced guys carry this team to the next level, while just tinkering with the pitching staff and ancillary players?
I'm not going to panic until I see what else they do/don't do. If they roll into 2026 relying on Vientos/McNeil/Baty to play every day IF roles or take on more pitching reclamation projects, it's a 70-win team. Citi Field will rightfully be a ghost town.
Sean Casey and Ron Darling gave the Mets grief about some of the decisions to trade or let guys walk. The Mets never addressed the core problems of the team. Instead the Mets created narratives to make it seem like the players leaving were a big part of the problem.
Pitching lab my @SS,
Analytic good for a long season, but mean little in crunch time with nerves running high.
Run prevention BS.
Pitching lab my @SS,
Analytic good for a long season, but mean little in crunch time with nerves running high.
Run prevention BS.
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In an earlier post- I had asked...With the current FA's available and realistic trade possibilities- what moves are possible to make us better this year and a WS contender by 2027?
We currently have a huge need for LF/CF/1B/DH/SP and 3B is still an unknown
We currently have full time "run prevention" players at SS/2B
I just don't see it as we aren't going to get Skubal in a trade. Doubt we sign a Bellinger or Tucker. There isn't a decent 1B available and who is the DH? I am going to give Williams a chance as maybe he can get his old stuff back...
The Mets never addressed the pitching issues. Instead they kept putting Band-Aids on the problem. Also, the back 1/3 of the lineup was an after thought. That is where teams attacked the Mets. How many times Diaz was in position to come in to close a game, but somehow the middle relievers give the game away. That sure was Diaz fault. How about Pete driving in the tying run and now he's on second with one or no outs in the 7th. The back half of the lineup can't drive him in. Then, the BP gives ups the winning run the next half inning. The top five in the batting order were responsible for 90% or the run production. The rest were automatic outs.
Btw, Soto is now $750+ million walk machine. With no Pete, why pitch to him.
I actually do think they'll wind up with 1 of either Bellinger or Tucker in the OF. I am worried about what they decide to do with the infield. They seem to love these AAAA guys like Vientos and Baty.
Starting pitching, your guess is as good as mine. Enough with the pitching lab nonsense. Work a move for someone with talent and/or under 35 years old.
Understand what you're saying and it's reasonable. Where I struggle is viewing the Core collectively as the problem not performing in the clutch. Understood the Nimmo trade and certainly would understand if the Mets traded McNeil and/or Petersen. The player leaving that pains me the most is Diaz and I get the performance volatility of relief pitchers from year to year. Currently Diaz is the best relief pitcher in the game with what appears to have a rubber arm. In the past season where the Mets bullpen was miserable for a number of reasons, this had nothing to do with Diaz. Diaz was part of the solution and not the problem. He was the one shining light in a cast of awful relief pitching. To lose him to the Dodgers by not showing a desire for him by giving him an offering a 4-5 years contract (even if the 4th and 5th year resulted in poor performance) is a mistake that time will tell. Williams as setup, although coming off a 4.79 ERA last season, and Diaz as the closer would have been a really good tag team to close games.
As for Pete, it hurts losing his offensive power production (will be difficult to say the least to make this up with free agents). as well as, for business reasons. He's the Mets all time HR hitter and fans want to see one of their own, who was from the start of his career wearing the blue and orange, play in a Mets uniform. I'm shocked that Cohen would let him walk solely due to business reasons. I guess the Mets fans will pay to see Soto walk a million times this upcoming season.
I think Bellinger is a much better fit with the Mets. Plus hitter and plus “run defender” mult positions.
The boring GT spot for us right now is McLean and potential of Sproat and Tong. I think Benge can become a good player but hate that Stearns seems to be banking on it.
I also do think that Baty/Vientos could be more than AAAA but neither is going to help us pass the teams ahead of us.
Bellinger will not be a Met. Boras will pass on the Mets this cycle because of how the Mets dealt with him and Pete the last two years. Hit the reset button for another time. IMO, the Mets will have to trade away some young talent to get quality players in return. As for free agents, the pickings are slim. I feel you can get quantity, but not quality, now that certain players are off the board. What will really piss people off if Stearns pays a guy similar money to Pete out of desperation.
You hit on the Alonso point. The guy, still productive, is really a money making machine for the Mets. We had such a huge increase of sales this year. And it wasn’t because of Soto,?it was the 3-sum of Lindor, Soto, Alonso
I would bet, that if Pete left last year but we still got Soto, our attendance would be no where close to what it was.
And what it would mean to the franchise and fans to have “their” guy chasing 400,500 HR and HOF.
And I get some of out here say you don’t care about the name, only your team.
That is all BS and even more so in baseball where there is such a desire to have “your guy”
I’ll eat my words in 5 years if Pete hasn’t surpassed 400HR
I will continue to support the franchise of the team named on the front of the Jersey. Just as I did when there was no longer anyone wearing said jersey with Seaver on the back. Just as I continued to do when there was no Strawberry or Gooden on the back.
I am still and always a Met fan...But there is a part of that where having "my guy" has always been a part of baseball.
And there is a reason that we have team records like not a single f-ing player has ever hit 300 HR or 1000 RBI for the team.
So- as I have said many times today- Mr. Stearns- give us your World Series winner and a consistent threat. But he was not brought here for a 5 year plan- so, make it happen in the next 2...
Strongly disagree with second sentence. Scott Boras is the best in the world at what he does. He did not get to be the best in the world by holding grudges.
Nothing personal, just business.
We are finally dismantling this team as it should have been done a few years ago. I don't know if Stearns' plan will work, but the previous team was definitely not working. No need to overpay Diaz and Alonso to get the same results. Time for a new approach and I welcome the change.