It feels as though the Mets are still licking their wounds from a week in early December that traumatized a fan base.
Already owning a lengthy list of winter needs, David Stearns’ to-do’s only grew after trading away Brandon Nimmo and losing out on Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz at the Winter Meetings.
What has followed has not been the usual reaction under Steve Cohen. No enormous, flashy signings, but rather the sort of pragmatism that Stearns used when building the mid-market Milwaukee Brewers into a perennial contender.
This is not Milwaukee, however, and what has come in does not necessarily move the needle all that much for a team that woefully underperformed last year to the tune of 83 wins.
Diaz, MLB’s reliever of the year in 2025, has been replaced by Devin Williams, whose lone season in the Bronx with the Yankees was so bad that he lost his closer’s role on multiple occasions. One of his replacements, Luke Weaver, followed Williams to Queens, as well.
Marcus Semien, coming over from Texas in the Nimmo deal, is an elite defensive second baseman, but his bat significantly lagged compared to the 45-home-run season he had in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays, or even the 29 he hit two years ago with the Rangers. While injuries limited him to 127 games, he hit just 15 home runs with a career-worst .669 OPS.
Bringing him in made Jeff McNeil expendable, and the long-time second baseman was jettisoned to the Athletics for a minor-league pitcher last week.
Career middle-infielder Jorge Polanco signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the Mets to, at least for now, serve as their everyday first baseman. The problem is that he has one career appearance at the position and has never recorded a chance. This might develop into the most scrutinized move of Stearns’ young Mets career after letting the franchise’s home-run king, Alonso, walk with zero resistance to the Baltimore Orioles.
These moves only scratch the surface of satisfying New York’s needs. Let’s get into what needs to be done over the next six weeks until spring training begins.
An ace is still needed
The main reason why the Mets collapsed last season was because of a starting rotation that became a liability from June on.
Kodai Senga’s injuries and mechanical issues mean he cannot be trusted, Sean Manaea’s spring-training injury derailed his entire 2025 and never got it back on track, and David Peterson went from an All-Star in the first half to a dud down the stretch.
The only usable pieces right now are Nolan McLean, who could very well be an ace of the future, and Clay Holmes, who did practically everything asked of him after converting from a closer.
But the Mets need a legitimate No. 1 — a proven stopper that can be penciled in for 180-plus innings and 200-plus strikeouts.
Stearns does not like to spend big money on starting pitching in free agency. He has been linked to former Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez for at least the last month, yet the righty is still available. Does Stearns get a gift and work down the price tag to sign him as the winter progresses?
Maybe the trade market heats up and offers more options. Two-time defending AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal might be made available by the Detroit Tigers. So could Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, who Stearns obviously has a history with.
2 outfielders
Like starting-pitching help, a center fielder has been on the Mets’ wish list since their season ended in late September. They brought back Tyrone Taylor as the quintessential fourth outfielder, and he thrives in that role, but they need to figure out who will start despite the impending hypotheticals that will begin in February.
Stearns has made it known that No. 2 prospect Carson Benge will have every chance to make the team out of camp as the starting center fielder. But what happens if he is not ready?
The Mets have been in talks with the Chicago White Sox for Luis Robert Jr. as a short-term bridge if Benge is not ready. He is a steady defensive center fielder, and his bat has some pop despite the significant regressions of the last two seasons.
The most sensible move, though, is to make a splash to sign Cody Bellinger. The veteran outfielder can play left to replace Nimmo, center if needed, and first base should the Polanco experiment drag on. He hit 29 home runs with 98 RBI in his debut campaign with the Yankees. That’s the sort of bat the Mets could use to stabilize the middle of their lineup.
More bullpen help
Williams and Weaver will join Brooks Raley and AJ Minter as legitimate backend options in the Mets’ bullpen, but the rest of the relief picture is murky.
Reed Garrett and Dedniel Nunez will be sidelined after undergoing Tommy John surgery in July and October, respectively. Starting pitcher Tylor Megill, who projects better as a reliever, also had Tommy John in September.
That leaves the Mets with Richard Lovelady, Huascar Brazoban, Albert Alolay, and Cooper Criswell. Not great.
