Latest On Justin Steele’s Rehab
When the Cubs made it back to the postseason in 2025, they did so short-handed. The club had lost staff ace Justin Steele just four starts into his 2025 season to UCL revision surgery. That procedure, which Steele underwent in mid-April of last year, came with an initial recovery timeline of roughly one year. There’s been minimal updates on Steele’s status since then, but the left-hander (as noted by MLB.com) took a big step forward in his rehab last week when he threw off a mound for the first time since going under the knife.
In an interview with Elise Menaker of Marquee Sports Network, Steele noted that while he doesn’t have a specific timeline for his return to the majors, he expects to face hitters at some point during Spring Training and added that he’s not only suffered no setbacks but is “ahead of schedule, if anything.” That’s certainly a positive sign for Cubs fans who are hoping to see Steele back on the mound early in the 2026 campaign. The team returns its entire rotation from 2025 but could benefit this year from a full season from Rookie of the Year runner-up Cade Horton and the addition of right-hander Edward Cabrera, who the Cubs swung a deal to land from the Marlins earlier this month.
With Cabrera, Horton, Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, and Colin Rea all set to be on the big league roster to start the year (to say nothing of depth options like Javier Assad, Jordan Wicks, and Ben Brown behind that group), the team’s crowded rotation mix could lead the Cubs to be a bit more careful with Steele’s rehab than they otherwise might be. After all, there are nine other starters on the team’s 40-man roster, before getting into the possibility that top prospect Jaxon Wiggins debuts at some point this year and the ability for a non-roster arm like Connor Noland to chip in some innings as well.
Steele himself acknowledged in his interview with Menaker that Dr. Keith Meister (who performed Steele’s surgery back in April) will likely suggest some sort of full-season innings limit for the lefty as he works his way back onto the mound. After adding Cabrera and Alex Bregman to a team that came within one game of the NLCS last year, the Cubs certainly have hopes of playing deep into October this year. They’ll also surely want a healthy Steele to be part of those playoff plans, so if Chicago’s rotation mix is mostly healthy throughout the first half of the season it could make sense for the team to slow-play Steele’s rehab and focus on having innings left to work with come the postseason.
Of course, health in the rotation is no guarantee. Imanaga, Horton, Taillon, and Cabrera all spent time on the injured list last year, while 2025 was Boyd’s first time making 30 starts in a year since 2018. Any of those pitchers once again needing significant time on the shelf this year can’t be ruled out, and slow-playing Steele’s rehab could leave them in position to be caught short-handed if the team’s rotation struggles to stay healthy early in the year. While players like Assad, Brown, and Wicks are quality depth, it’s difficult to argue that a version of Steele that’s even just approaching full strength wouldn’t be a safer bet to produce than that trio of youngsters.
Steele’s been one of the most effective starters in baseball since he broke out midway through the 2022 season, and since that time only nine pitchers (min. 300 innings pitched) have a lower ERA. That group of nine names is a who’s who of the leagues top aces, ranging from Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal and Shohei Ohtani to Chris Sale, Max Fried, and Zack Wheeler. It would be difficult to leave that sort of upside on the sidelines for longer than absolutely necessary, especially when Chicago will be looking to chase down a Brewers team that both won the NL Central crown last year and also knocked them out of the playoffs back in October. However the Cubs ultimately decide to handle Steele’s rehab, they surely won’t make any firm decisions until Spring Training gets underway and they have a better understanding of the other pitchers on the roster in terms of their own health.
Reds Sign Davis Daniel, Anthony Misiewicz To Minor League Deals
The Reds have signed right-hander Davis Daniel and southpaw Anthony Misiewicz to minor league deals, according to the transactions trackers on their respective MLB.com player pages.
Misiewicz, 31, is the more experienced of the two in the majors. An 18th-round pick by the Mariners back in 2015, Misiewicz was in the Seattle bullpen for the shortened 2020 season. The lefty turned in 21 solid appearances in that first season as a big leaguer, posting a 4.05 ERA with a 30.1% strikeout rate and a 3.04 FIP. That’s a solid start for a rookie, but over the next two years he was unable to turn those solid peripherals into better results. By the end of the 2022 campaign, Misiewicz had been shipped off to the Royals and posted a 4.52 ERA over the past two seasons despite a solid 3.88 FIP and a 22.4% strikeout rate.
In the years since 2022, Misiewicz has made only occasional MLB appearances. He bounced between the Diamondbacks, Tigers, Yankees, and Twins over the past three years, and in doing so compiled a 7.56 ERA across 16 2/3 innings of work with nearly as many walks (11) as strikeouts (14). Each of those years has been spent primarily in the minor leagues, however, and he’s fared much better there. While pitching at Triple-A St. Paul last season, Misiewicz posted a 3.82 ERA in 33 innings of work while punching out 23.8% of his opponents. There’s certainly reason to believe, given his past contributions in Seattle and more recent success at Triple-A, that Misiewicz could be a solid middle relief arm for the Reds this year. Sam Moll, Brock Burke, and Caleb Ferguson are all ahead of him on the depth chart when it comes to southpaws, but the season-long churn of a typical bullpen should still provide Misiewicz with opportunities to break into the majors with good enough performance.
As for Daniel, the Angels’ 7th-round pick back in 2019 made his debut with Anaheim back in 2023. Over his first two years in the majors, Daniel made nine appearances (six starts) and pitched to a 5.06 ERA with a 4.41 FIP in 42 2/3 innings of work. His 19.9% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate were nothing to write home about, but he did have the look of a potentially useful swing option during those seasons with the Halos. He was squeezed off the club’s roster last offseason and found himself traded to Atlanta, where he was leaned on for a couple of spot starts throughout 2025 amid a series of injuries to the team’s primary rotation options.
With the Braves, Daniel posted a 5.40 ERA and 5.04 FIP across ten innings. That’s mostly more of the same for the right-hander, and he figures to offer that same slightly below-average production as a non-roster depth option for the Reds headed into the 2026 campaign. Cincinnati has a deep rotation headlined by Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott, but the idea of trading a pitcher has percolated throughout the team’s offseason. Brady Singer is the most frequently discussed name when it comes to trade candidates, and if the Reds did wind up moving Singer or another pitcher that would force the team to lean on youngsters like Rhett Lowder and Chase Petty in the rotation with little depth behind them. That’s where a player like Daniel could come in handy, helping to plug holes in the rotation as they come up throughout the year due to injuries.
Blue Jays Sign Connor Seabold To Minor League Deal
The Blue Jays have signed right-hander Connor Seabold to a minor league deal, according to the transactions tracker at MLB.com.
A third-round pick by the Phillies back in 2017, the 30-year-old Seabold made his big league debut back in 2021 and has collected 119 big league innings across parts of four seasons in the majors. Though he began his MLB career with two years in an up-and-down role with Boston, the majority of Seabold’s time in the majors came as a member of the Rockies in 2023. The righty served as a swingman for the Rockies that year, and while he managed 87 1/3 innings of work between 13 starts and 14 relief outings, Seabold’s numbers were far from impressive.
The righty struggled to a ghastly 7.52 ERA with Colorado. As if often the case when it comes to Rockies pitchers, that bloated ERA doesn’t tell the full story. An elevated .338 BABIP and a strand rate of just 60.3% indicate that Seabold had some poor fortune when it came to batted balls and sequencing, though that hardly excuses a 16.4% strikeout rate and a 10.1% barrel rate. Those underlying numbers suggest severe deficiencies in Seabold’s game even after accounting for bad luck, and that’s backed up by his 5.75 FIP and 5.03 SIERA that year.
Seabold didn’t appear in the majors in 2024, as he headed to the KBO to pitch for the Samsung Lions. He made 28 starts for the Lions and looked good doing it, with a 3.43 ERA in 160 innings. That allowed him to catch on with the Rays last year, and he appeared for seven appearances with Tampa and Atlanta. Unfortunately, this was more of the same for the right-hander. While he combined for a 4.35 ERA and 4.20 FIP this year, a 12.5% walk rate and a 15.6% barrel rate both suggested that he was fortunate to surrender so little damage. A lackluster 6.07 ERA at the Triple-A level between the Rays’ Durham affiliate and Atlanta’s Gwinnett affiliate only further underscores his struggles last year.
Of course, even with those flaws it still remains true that Seabold has only ever gotten a significant look at the big league level in the difficult pitching environment of Colorado. Perhaps he’ll find a way to earn a more significant role with the Jays this year, though he’s surely being signed purely as a depth option given their wide array of starting options. Dylan Cease was signed to lead the rotation at the outset of the offseason. He and Cody Ponce will join existing starters Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, and Jose Berrios in the mix of starts entering the year, with Bowden Francis, Eric Lauer, and Yariel Rodriguez among the organization’s depth options. Top prospect Ricky Tiedemann could also break into the majors this year. Such a deep cache of starters could leave Seabold without a clear path to the majors this year without a large number of injuries or a move to the bullpen.
Hanser Alberto Announces Retirement
Veteran infielder Hanser Alberto announced his retirement via Instagram earlier this week, bringing a career that saw him spend parts of eight seasons in the majors to a close. He played for the Rangers, Orioles, Dodgers, Royals, and White Sox throughout his time in the big leagues.
Alberto, 33, signed with the Rangers out of the Dominican Republic as an amateur and made his pro debut back in 2010. He hit well out the gate in the Dominican Summer League and went on to slowly climb his way through the minors before making it to the majors in 2015. He struggled early on in his big league career and hit just .194/.204/.226 across 76 games in the majors as an up-and-down bench bat for Texas during his first two years in the show. After missing the 2017 season due to a shoulder injury, Alberto re-emerged with the Rangers in 2018 but once again struggled badly across a 13-game sample.
After being designated for assignment by Texas during the 2018-19 offseason, Alberto bounced around the league on waivers before finally landing in Baltimore ahead of the 2019 campaign. The Orioles were headed for a 108-loss campaign that year, but Alberto proved to be a major bright spot for the club as he took over a regular role with the team. He enjoyed a career year in Baltimore, slashing .305/.329/.442 in 139 games. That batting line was good for a 95 wRC+, and combined with strong defense at second base was enough to make Alberto a 3.4-win player according to Baseball Reference. He also struck out at a career-low 9.1% clip. Alberto took a step back during the shortened 2020 season, posting an 87 wRC+ with 13.1% strikeout rate, but still managed to appear in 54 of the Orioles’ 60 games that season.
Impressive as he had been in 2019, the Orioles opted to non-tender Alberto rather than carry him on the 2021 roster at his arbitration price tag. Over the final three seasons of his career in the majors, Alberto bounced between various clubs in a utility role. He joined the Royals on a minor league deal for the 2021 campaign, and his 83 wRC+ in 103 games for the rebuilding club was enough to convince the Dodgers to give him a major league contract for 2022. Alberto’s productivity took a step back as he neared his 30th birthday, however, and he slashed just .235/.259/.374 with a wRC+ of 74 over his final two years in the majors with L.A. and Chicago.
After being dogged by injuries during his time with the White Sox, Alberto missed most of the 2024 campaign and was limited to only playing winter ball. He returned to full-season play in 2025 when he joined the Mexican League’s Piratas de Campeche, and ultimately appeared in 26 games for them (plus an additional one for the Saraperos de Saltillo) before returning to winter ball. He appeared in 24 winter league games during the 2025-26 season for the Gigantes del Cibao but has now called it a career.
In all, Alberto made it into 488 games at the big league level. Along the way, he collected 378 hits, 22 homers, 12 steals, and 4.4 bWAR. He wraps up his career with a lifetime .269/.292/.381 slash line. MLB Trade Rumors congratulates Alberto on his career and wishes him the best in his future pursuits as his playing career comes to a close.
Max Scherzer Could Wait To Sign After Opening Day
Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer came within a few outs of winning his third career World Series ring before his Blue Jays fell to the Dodgers back in November, and with the end of the 2025 season came Scherzer’s third foray into free agency over the past five years. Now 41 and staring down his 42nd birthday this coming July, Scherzer is no longer the superstar ace he once was. Even so, the right-hander still believes he can help a team in the right circumstances. The right-hander told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic recently that, while he’s healthy and ready to sign if the right situation comes along, he would be willing to sit out the beginning of the season and sign after Opening Day if it meant finding his way onto a preferred team.
Rosenthal made clear that Scherzer did not reveal what teams he would prefer to play for, but it’s easy to imagine that Scherzer will prioritize playing for a team that he believes has a legitimate shot to win a World Series this year as he enters the twilight of his career. While waiting to sign is always risky, Scherzer could make himself a valuable asset to contending teams in need of depth at some point this year in the event that he does remain unsigned after Opening Day. Rosenthal compares Roger Clemens‘s final season in the majors, when he famously held off on signing until he was able to land a deal with the Yankees in early May. A more recent player who took a similar approach was righty reliever David Robertson, who was entering his age-40 season last year and held off on signing anywhere until the second half, when he landed with the Phillies and made 20 appearances down the stretch to solidify their bullpen.
Both of those comparisons demonstrate what teams should expect from Scherzer at this point. Clemens threw 99 innings for the Yankees in his age-44 campaign, pitching to a 4.18 ERA with a 4.14 FIP. That was the fifth-highest ERA of his storied, 24-year career. Likewise, Robertson turned in a decent but unspectacular 4.08 ERA and 4.95 FIP in his time with Philadelphia last season. In Scherzer’s case, the righty is coming off 17 starts for the Blue Jays where he at times looked like his typical dominant self and in other moments looked like one would expect a pitcher in his early 40s with nearly 3000 innings of mileage on his arm to look. That all added up to a 5.17 ERA and a 4.99 FIP, though he managed to turn things up a notch in the playoffs and muster a 3.77 ERA across three starts against the Mariners and Dodgers.
While Scherzer has indicated a willingness to hold out for the right fit, that doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t be able to find a match before Spring Training begins next month. Looking exclusively at teams that made the playoffs last year, the Brewers just traded Freddy Peralta and surely wouldn’t mind a veteran innings eater to pair with Brandon Woodruff as a leader for their young staff. The Padres could certainly squeeze Scherzer into their rotation and push JP Sears into a depth role. The Phillies figure to start the season with both swing man Taijuan Walker and prospect Andrew Painter in the rotation. The Tigers are reportedly looking for a back-end starter and could represent a fun homecoming for Scherzer, who won his first Cy Young award with the club. Other teams like the Marlins and Athletics could also surely benefit from adding Scherzer, but those clubs might not be clear enough contenders on paper to intrigue the veteran hurler.
The Opener: Nationals, Trade Market, Fan Events
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:
1. Will the Nationals sell off more pieces?
The big news around baseball yesterday was the Nationals swinging a trade that sent star lefty MacKenzie Gore to the Rangers in exchange for a package of five prospects headlined by Texas’s 2025 first-rounder, infielder Gavin Fien. President of baseball operations Paul Toboni hasn’t been shy about the fact that the team remains in a rebuilding period after five years near the bottom of the standings under GM Mike Rizzo, and the deal indicates Toboni doesn’t see things turning around in the next two years. Reporting has indicated that the team has also fielded offers for infielder CJ Abrams and center fielder Jacob Young. Abrams has three years of team control remaining, while Young has four. Nats fans will surely be watching the trade market for those players with significant interest in the run-up to Opening Day, as Toboni’s decision on whether or not to hold a player like Young could serve as a sign for just how long he expects the team to remain out of contention.
2. Who’s left on the trade market?
Gore was one of the most obvious trade candidates of the offseason, and with both him and Freddy Peralta off the board the pickings are starting to get slim when it comes to pitchers teams can look to trade for. The Royals could make someone like Kris Bubic available and perhaps the Red Sox would listen on some of their depth options like Patrick Sandoval, but the majority of the smoke on the trade market figures to center around position players at this point. Brendan Donovan has been the big name on that front, and the Cardinals still seem more likely than not to move him before Spring Training given persistent interest from teams like the Giants and Mariners. Whispers of the fit between Isaac Paredes and the Red Sox don’t seem likely to go away until Boston resolves the hole in their infield, and the possibility the Cubs trade a player from their infield like Nico Hoerner or Matt Shaw after Alex Bregman‘s arrival created a logjam remains very intriguing as well. Meanwhile, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu have seen their names in the Boston rumor mill for years at this point. Who will be the next to move?
3. Fan events this weekend:
While Spring Training is still a few weeks away, teams around the game have started holding their annual offseason events to hype fans up for the upcoming season. The Twins, Astros, Rockies, and Pirates are all hosting fan events this weekend, with details on the linked pages courtesy of MLB.com. The Rangers were set to host one as well, but the team announced that the event will be cancelled in light of the weekend’s inclement weather forecast. The Orioles, meanwhile, announced that Saturday’s events will be cancelled while today’s events will be limited in scope as a result of the coming weather. Fans planning to attend any of these events should keep a close eye on the team’s respective event pages (and club social media accounts) in the run-up to the event to stay updated in case inclement weather causes further cancellations.
Poll: Who Will Sign Eugenio Suarez?
With Cody Bellinger now off the market, just one impact bat remains available in free agency: third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Coming off a 49-homer campaign in 2025, the 34-year-old seemed to be one of the premier mid-tier free agents available in free agency this winter. His market has been rather quiet for most of the winter, however. Some of that can surely be attributed to age, as teams are often hesitant about how strikeout-heavy sluggers like Suarez will age as they enter their mid-thirties. A tough stretch run in Seattle where Suarez hit just .189/.255/.428 across 53 games following a midseason trade might also raise some eyebrows. Even so, the upside Suarez demonstrated last year is tremendous and could be a game changer for a lineup in need of a boost. The question is: which team will step up to land him? A look at some of the options:
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox are a somewhat obvious fit for Suarez’s services after the club missed out on reuniting with Alex Bregman earlier this month. That leaves a clear hole in the team’s infield, and Suarez is by far the best option to plug that hole remaining on the free agent market. The slugger would also offer home run power that the team lacked throughout 2025, a deficiency that led them to get involved in the markets for Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso earlier this winter. With that said, however, the team’s pivot towards signing Ranger Suarez after missing on Bregman has been coupled with a focus on pitching and run prevention. Suarez is a lackluster defender at third base already and those skills only figure to decline as he ages, so the Red Sox might prefer to pursue the trade market, where younger players like Nico Hoerner, Isaac Paredes, and Brendan Donovan could be available.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates stand out as an excellent fit for Suarez on paper. After trading Ke’Bryan Hayes to the Reds last summer, they have a gaping hole at third base that Suarez could fill. Adding Suarez to the lineup would also lend credibility to the Pirates’ effort to contend this year. Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, Bryan Reynolds, and Oneil Cruz are a solid group of bats in the heart of Pittsburgh’s order, but a big righty bat to help balance those lefties out a bit more would go a long way to adding some credibility to the club’s lineup. The biggest question for Pittsburgh might be whether the sides can find common ground at all; the Pirates have already spent quite a bit more than usual this winter, and it’s unclear where exactly their limit for spending is. From Suarez’s perspective, meanwhile, he might prefer to sign with a more surefire contender if Pittsburgh isn’t the clear best offer available to him.
Seattle Mariners
Early in the offseason, it seemed likely that Suarez would be headed elsewhere after the 2025 season. That’s sensible enough, as he had just wrapped up his second stint in Seattle and struggled with elevated strikeout rates relative to his career norms both times thanks to the difficult hitting environment at T-Mobile Park. Once Jorge Polanco signed elsewhere, however, reporting suggested an openness on the part of Seattle to reuniting with Suarez, as he could serve as a bridge to the team’s up-and-coming young infielders in Cole Young and Colt Emerson. While Suarez’s past struggles in Seattle create some cause for concern, it’s nonetheless not hard to see him putting together another solid season like the one he delivered for the Mariners in 2022, when he swatted 31 homers with a 132 wRC+ despite a strikeout rate north of 30%.
Other Options
While the above three teams are the most obvious fits for Suarez’s services, they aren’t the only plausible options. The Cubs were connected to Suarez earlier this winter. The Reds are very familiar with the slugger and spent the early part of the offseason looking to add a power-hitting bat to the middle of their lineup. The Phillies tried to sign Bo Bichette early this month but came up empty in those efforts. The Padres could use a big bat for first base or DH, particularly one that bats righty to complement Gavin Sheets. The Marlins have an affinity for high-powered, strikeout-heavy sluggers (Kyle Stowers, Owen Caissie) and a hole at third base that Suarez could credibly fill. The A’s recently tried to land Nolan Arenado to fill their hole at third base, and Suarez would be a great fit at the team’s homer-friendly ballpark.
All of those potential suitors come with caveats, however. The Cubs seem far less likely to be interested in Suarez after adding Bregman, and would need to push top prospect Moises Ballesteros out of the lineup to make room for him. The Reds have seemed reluctant to spend big this winter after missing out on Schwarber. The Phillies pivoted from Bichette to J.T. Realmuto and might not have room in the budget to pursue Suarez, especially if they can’t trade Alec Bohm. It’s unclear if the Padres have the budget space to mount a credible pursuit of Suarez, either. The same goes for the Marlins and the A’s, with both teams also suffering from the same flaw as Pittsburgh as teams that could be unappealing to free agents due to their struggles to contend in recent years.
Where do MLBTR readers think Suarez will ultimately land? Will he replace Bregman in Boston, transform the Pirates’ lineup, or return to Seattle? Is there another team out there that could sneak into the sweepstakes as a dark horse and come out on top? Have your say in the poll below:
Who Will Sign Eugenio Suarez?
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Mariners 23% (3,247)
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Pirates 22% (3,061)
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Red Sox 21% (3,016)
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Reds 10% (1,363)
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Other (Specify in Comments) 8% (1,065)
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Phillies 5% (771)
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Athletics 5% (722)
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Padres 3% (448)
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Cubs 2% (228)
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Marlins 2% (216)
Total votes: 14,137
The Opener: Mets, Yankees, Rotation Market
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day:
1. Mets land their top-end starter:
A busy week for the Mets got even better last night when the team swung a deal with the Brewers to acquire right-hander Freddy Peralta. New York surrendered two top prospects (Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat) in order to land Peralta (and righty Tobias Myers), but in doing so they’ve finally addressed their long-discussed need for a top-of-the-rotation talent. Peralta finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting this past year and is a two-time All-Star.
That pedigree is enough to make him a great choice to pair with Nolan McLean at the top of the rotation, but questions remain about what’s next for the Mets. Could the team look to make another addition, perhaps to add some insurance behind Carson Benge and Luis Robert Jr. in the outfield? New York still has a glut of starting pitching talent to dangle in subsequent trades. McLean’s dominant 2025 debut makes him a lock for the rotation. Veteran options include Peralta, David Peterson, Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, and Sean Manaea. Myers, top prospect Jonah Tong and former top prospect Christian Scott, who’s returning from 2024 Tommy John surgery, could all pitch in a big league rotation as well, though every member of that trio has at least one minor league option remaining.
2. Yankees land Bellinger:
The Yankees finally reunited with Cody Bellinger yesterday when he agreed to a five-year, $162.5MM deal that affords him the opportunity to opt out after the 2027 and ’28 seasons. The move helps to solidify the team’s outfield, setting the Yanks up to once again rely primarily on a trio of Bellinger, Aaron Judge, and Trent Grisham on the grass. That begs the question of what happens with young outfielder Jasson Dominguez and top prospect Spencer Jones, though both could certainly be kept as depth given that Grisham is on a one-year deal. It’s unclear at this point if the Yankees are done; Bellinger was the big fish the club was looking for, but they were also involved in the Peralta market prior to Milwaukee’s deal with the Mets. It’s possible they pivot elsewhere, though the Yanks have already deepened the rotation by acquiring lefty Ryan Weathers from the Marlins.
3. Post-Peralta rotation market:
Peralta’s trade to the Mets not only takes the top starting pitcher off the trade market, it also takes the most obvious suitor for high-end pitching off the table. That’s an interesting state of affairs given that the rotation market still boasts two starters with front-of-the-rotation pedigree: lefty Framber Valdez and, to a lesser extent given his down season in 2025, righty Zac Gallen. The Orioles have been known to be in the market for a front-end starter this winter, and while swinging a deal for Shane Baz added some upside, they haven’t landed a more established arm. The same can be said for the Cubs, who made a deal for promising righty Edward Cabrera earlier this month. Atlanta could use another arm but doesn’t typically spend at Valdez levels in free agency. The D-backs may not have payroll space. The Angels saved significant money with Anthony Rendon‘s contract restructure but haven’t yet been prominent players in free agency.
Poll: Have The Mets Done Enough To Retool Their Lineup?
Last night, the Mets officially announced their recent deal with star infielder Bo Bichette and swung a trade for former All-Star Luis Robert Jr. to patrol center field for the team this year. Those moves are the latest in what’s turned into a major overhaul of the Mets’ offense coming off a disappointing 83-win campaign that saw them miss the playoffs in Juan Soto‘s first season under club control. Franchise stalwarts Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil departed the club and a group of new faces have been brought in. It’s a bold decision by president of baseball operations David Stearns to overhaul the offense so dramatically when the team’s 112 wRC+ was good for fifth-best in the majors last season.
The club also missed out on Kyle Tucker and haven’t yet managed to secure a front-of-the-rotation arm. Those developments have left some fans frustrated with the team headed into 2026. Spring Training is now less than a month away. While it’s certainly not impossible to make additional moves to round out the roster, there’s a chance the biggest moves are now done. If the collection of position players the Mets have now is what they’ll enter the 2026 campaign with, how does it compare to the group they put forward last year?
Both lineups will have the one-two punch of Francisco Lindor at shortstop and Soto in right field to kick things off. Things start to get significantly different from there, though. Alonso’s 141 wRC+ is difficult to replace, and no player the Mets have added so far figures to put up a gaudy number like that this year. Bichette (134 wRC+) and Jorge Polanco (132 wRC+) have both come into the mix on the heels of strong seasons in their own rights, however, and both figure to serve as legitimate middle-of-the-order threats for the Mets this season. Neither Bichette nor Polanco figure to provide the power that Alonso offered, as he swatted 38 long balls this year. Bichette has never hit even 30 homers in his career, and Polanco last did so in 2021.
As tough as the loss of Alonso is, however, it can certainly be argued at the team’s additions lengthen the lineup overall. While neither Bichette or Polanco offers quite the same offensive impact as Alonso, both were fair superior to Brandon Nimmo (115 wRC+) and Jeff McNeil (111 wRC+) last season. Marcus Semien (89 wRC+) and Robert (84 wRC+) weren’t at that level, but both are coming off injury-marred campaigns in 2025 and could see their numbers tick back up towards league average with better health. In the case of Robert, however, even a repeat of last year would be a substantial improvement for the Mets relative to what they got out of center field last year. The team’s center fielders (primarily Tyrone Taylor and Cedric Mullins) combined for a wRC+ of 71 with just 0.7 fWAR. That makes Robert a likely upgrade even if he can’t get close to the All-Star form he flashed back in 2023, when he posted a 129 wRC+ and 4.9 fWAR in 145 games.
Health for both Semien and Robert figures to be key to a successful Mets lineup this year, but perhaps the biggest wild card is how the team’s young talent will perform. All indications suggest that, if another move isn’t made, top outfield prospect Carson Benge will get a clear shot at regular playing time for the Mets in the outfield. Meanwhile, Brett Baty will be looking to build on a successful 2025 season while likely spending time at first base and DH alongside Polanco, and Francisco Alvarez will try to replicate last season’s monster second half across the full year. Versatile prospect Jett Williams also figures to play a role for the team at some point this year, though when that will be (and where on the diamond he’ll wind up playing) remains to be seen.
Assuming a big trade like Jarren Duran isn’t coming down the pipeline to change the look of New York’s offense, how do MLBTR readers think the Mets’ lineup will fare in 2026? Will they be able to match last season’s production? Could they exceed it? Or will they come up short and be a less productive offense than the one Alonso helped lead last year? Have your say in the poll below:
Assuming no major additions, how will the Mets' offense fare in 2026?
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The Mets' offense will more or less match the 2025 team's 112 wRC+ this year. 48% (2,251)
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The Mets' offense will significantly underperform the 2025 team's 112 wRC+ this year. 27% (1,243)
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The Mets' offense will significantly exceed the 2025 team's 112 wRC+ this year. 25% (1,151)
Total votes: 4,645
The Opener: Mets, Red Sox, Dodgers
On the heels of an early morning trade, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:
1. Mets press conference later today:
The Mets are holding a press conference at 1pm local time to introduce star infielder Bo Bichette after his three-year deal with the club became official yesterday. Bichette himself and president of baseball operations David Stearns are both slated to be in attendance for today’s presser. Stearns surely will also wind up fielding questions regarding yesterday’s late-night acquisition of Luis Robert Jr. from the White Sox in exchange for a package headlined by former top infield prospect Luisangel Acuña. With Bichette and Robert both in the fold, it will be interesting to hear from Stearns regarding whether he sees the team adding more to the lineup or if he now plans to turn his attention towards a starting rotation the club has been looking to upgrade with a front-end arm.
2. Red Sox presser later today:
In addition to the Mets, the Red Sox will also be hosting a press conference later today. The reason for the presser has not yet been stated, but after this morning’s Tristan Gray trade cleared a 40-man roster spot for Boston it seems likely that the club is poised to make the signing of southpaw Ranger Suarez official. The press conference is scheduled for 11am local time and could also provide an opportunity for chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to offer some insight into the team’s plans for the rest of the offseason. Presumably, the club’s top priority at this point is replacing Alex Bregman on the infield, though Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell could at least theoretically be called upon to take up third base and second base, respectively, if the club relies exclusively on internal options.
3. Dodgers 40-man move incoming:
While Bichette’s deal was made official last night and the Suarez deal figures to be made official later this morning, the Dodgers’ deal with star outfielder Kyle Tucker has not yet been finalized. That will surely happen in the coming days, but before then Los Angeles will need to make a 40-man roster move. That can be achieved by simply designating a player for assignment, but a minor trade similar to the Gray swap Boston made this morning is another possibility.