Mets lose 2 key players in free agency

It hasn’t been a great Winter Meetings for the New York Mets.

Two key players have departed in free agency over the last two days. On Tuesday, closer Edwin Diaz agreed to a three-year, $69 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. First baseman Pete Alonso is also out of the NL East. He has agreed to a five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The Orioles reportedly offered Kyle Schwarber five years, $150 million before he re-signed with the Phillies at the same price. Brandon Nimmo was also traded to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien earlier in the offseason.

The Mets are undergoing a major facelift after missing out on a postseason berth on the last day of the regular season. New York losing out on Diaz was a bit more surprising than Alonso’s departure. The Mets have never been comfortable with committing the years and dollars it would take to lock up Alonso long term. Diaz, on the other hand, opted out of the remaining two years and $38 million on his contract. The Dodgers essentially added another year to Diaz’s deal and added $4 million to his average annual value.

Where the Mets go from here is interesting. They will need to replace Alonso’s bat in the lineup. They have holes at the top of the starting rotation and bullpen. Like the Phillies and many other teams, they could use an outfielder or two. Philadelphia’s biggest rival will look a lot different in 2026.

The Phillies have to be happy to see Alonso out of the division. In 452 career plate appearances against Philadelphia, Alonso slashed .258/.352/.460 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs.