Mets Morning News: Alonso and Díaz opt out, Soto named MVP finalist

SB Nation

Meet the Mets

Juan Soto was named a finalist for the National League MVP award alongside presumptive winner Shohei Ohtani and Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber. This is the second consecutive year that a Met will finish

the year as an MVP finalist, after Francisco Lindor came in second to Ohtani for the award in 2024.

As expected, Edwin Díaz opted out of the final two years of his contract with the Mets.

Also as expected (since he already revealed his plans): Pete Alonso has opted out.

A.J. Minter, on the other hand, has opted in to his contract for the 2026 season and will return to the Mets.

Ken Rosenthal spoke about Alonso’s free agency and spoke about the Red Sox as a possible destination. He noted his belief that David Stearns does not seem inclined to give Alonso a long-term deal.

Justin Williard has emerged as a top candidate to become the team’s pitching coach.

Anthony McCarron, writing for SNY, made ten bold predictions for the 2025 offseason, including some big reunions, signings, and trades for the Mets.

Danny Abriano shared his top priorities for the Mets this winter.

Writing for Baseball Prospectus, Matt Eddy compiled his list of top ten prospects in the Mets’ system

Around the National League East

The Braves have hired Walt Weiss as their new manager. He has served as the club’s bench coach since 2018 and previously managed the Rockies for four seasons.

Ha-Seong Kim opted out of his contract with the Braves.

The Marlins named former Gabe Kapler as their new general manager. Kapler, who managed the Phillies and Giants in the past, was serving as Miami’s assistant general manager before earning the promotion.

Cole Weintraub examined ten free agent options for the Phillies this winter.

Around Major League Baseball

The Dodgers celebrated their latest World Series win with a parade.

Will Leitch explored the teams with the best chance to dethrone the Dodgers in 2026.

It may be early, but The Athletic put together their MLB Power Rankings for the 2026 season.

Keith Law took a deep dive into the top free agents this offseason.

ESPN’s David Schoenfield looked at the best fits for all the top free agents.

The full list of BBWAA Awards finalists were announced.

The Baseball Hall of Fame unveiled the eight-player Contemporary Baseball Era Committee ballot, which includes three players who donned the orange and blue in their career—Jeff Kent, Carlos Delgado, and Gary Sheffield.

Dale Murphy, a Utah resident, is getting another shot at the Hall of Fame.

The Rays picked up outfielder Ryan Vilade from the Reds for cash considerations.

All-Star closer Robert Suarez officially opted out of the remainder of his contract with the Padres and became a free agent. He had two years and $16 million remaining on that original deal.

Similarly, Alex Bregman opted out of the final two years of his contract with the Red Sox.

Cody Bellinger opted out of his contract with the Yankees but expressed his willingness to return to the Bronx.

Adam Ottavino has spoken with Dick Monfort about becoming the Rockies’ head of baseball operations.