ORLANDO, Fla. — The winter meetings have started and rumor has it Mickey Mouse has full no-trade protection. Big, if true.
Baseball’s marquee offseason event brings just about everyone in the sport under one roof. Even with the advent of technology and remote work, gathering in one central location still seems to encourage teams to get deals done. For the Mets, the wheeling and dealing started a few weeks ago, and with two key free agents, the club has some holes in their roster to fill.
Here are the storylines to watch for the Mets this week in Orlando.
EDWIN DIAZ AND PETE ALONSO
We know the Mets are pursuing Edwin Diaz, the All-Star closer, to pair him with right-hander Devin Williams in the bullpen. If they can get Diaz to re-sign for the second time, they’ll have a formidable bullpen that also includes high-leverage left-handers A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley. Diaz is rumored to be seeking a contract similar to his last one, which was $102 million over five years, with an opt-out after 2025. The 31-year-old opted out to become a free agent.
What we don’t know yet is how hard the Mets are working to bring back first baseman Pete Alonso. At the general manager meetings in Las Vegas last month, president of baseball operations David Stearns said he wanted to see what Alonso’s market looks like, but so far, one hasn’t materialized.
The likely cause of that is because the pitching markets are the more active ones at the moment. Last year, Alonso signed shortly before spring training. He’s hoping to avoid that this time around, but he might have to wait until after Kyle Schwarber signs to see what his market looks like.
STARTING PITCHING
The Mets have said they want an ace, but it’s not clear how many are available this winter. There might not be many. Framber Valdez, who is scheduled to attend the meetings in person, is one of the few free-agent aces and the Mets have had some interest in the left-hander.
A two-time All-Star who keeps the ball on the ground, Valdez helped the Houston Astros win a World Series in 2022, and AL Pennants in 2018, 2019 and 2021. There is a question of his character given the incident last year in which he threw at his own catcher, but the Mets haven’t been afraid to take chances on players with questionable clubhouse reputations in recent seasons. They signed Tommy Pham in 2023 and traded for Jose Siri in 2025.
When it comes to pitchers available through trades, it appears as though Detroit Tigers ace and two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal isn’t available. The Milwaukee Brewers might make Freddy Peralta available, and the Pittsburgh Pirates will have some pitchers available, but not Paul Skenes.
SENGA’S SUITORS
Aside from pitching acquisitions, the Mets have approached right-hander Kodai Senga about a trade, but the pitcher has said he would prefer to stay with the Mets. Senga has been largely disappointing since his rookie season in 2023, spending much of the season on the injured list in 2024, and failing to bounce back after a hamstring strain sidelined him for a few months in 2025. The results were so poor the Mets had to send him to Triple-A, where they weren’t any better.
The Mets are not considering asking him to move to the bullpen. Senga is very specific and methodical about his routine and how he cares for his body, but between the language and cultural barriers, the Mets found it difficult to communicate with him at times. It’s the relative inflexibility that has led the Mets to believe he’s better as a starter. They want to give him the best chance to succeed, which means keeping him in a starting role.
The club has emerging young pitchers in right-handers Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat. While they’d like to hold on to all three of them, Tong and Sproat could help them on the trade market.
OTHER NEEDS
The bullpen needs more than Diaz, and left field remains a question mark now that Brandon Nimmo is in Texas. Jeff McNeil is penciled in as the left fielder right now, but the Mets have said they’d like to capitalize on his positional versatility. Or, they could trade McNeil, who will be 34 next season and has another year left on his contract with a club option for 2027.
By trading Nimmo, Stearns has made it clear that no one is safe, other than players like Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto.
CROWDED INFIELD
There are too many young infielders between Triple-A and the Major Leagues, and not enough spots for them to play. Marcus Semien, the Mets’ new second baseman acquired in the Nimmo trade, is blocking Luisangel Acuña as a right-handed hitter. Stearns said he didn’t see it that way, but with a ceiling as a talented defender, he might be the logical candidate to trade for pitching.
As far as prospects go, Jett Williams stands out as one the Mets might look to trade. Carson Benge is closer to making the Major Leagues than Williams as an outfielder, and there isn’t a place for Williams to play in the infield as a shortstop and second baseman. Williams, an undersized speedster, was not drafted by Stearns, so the executive might not have a strong desire to keep him.
But that’s purely speculative at this point.
After all, the winter meetings are all about speculation.
