For 18 MLB teams, the season has already ended. Sure, October will crown a new champion and so on, but that doesn't matter to any of the three teams mentioned in this article. The Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets all missed out on their ultimate goal – the latter of which did so in miraculous fashion.
For all three of this pretenders, the offseason starts now. The Orioles and Mets held end-of-season press conferences on Monday, while the Pirates have been preparing for this money for quite some time. Pittsburgh made Don Kelly their permanent manager. Meanwhile, the Orioles are evaluating all of their options on the bench. Mike Elias didn't make clear what that means for interim manager Tony Mansolino. The Mets are doing damage control, with David Stearns giving a press conference on Monday afternoon. It's bound to be a rough one given the Mets collapse with MLB's highest payroll.
Here's everything you need to know on the first day of the offseason for these three teams.
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The Mets face the music after a brutal collapse
David Stearns will give a press conference the Mets media on Monday afternoon, but plenty has been said prior to the president of baseball operations taking the podium. This team was deeply flawed, despite Stearns having more resources than any front office in baseball. Steve Cohen put his money where his mouth is, signing Juan Soto to a $765 million contract. The Mets fruitful winter did not end there, as they added to their starting rotation as well. New York was active at the deadline, headlined by their acquisition of Ryan Helsley. It's not that Stearns didn't try – it's that he made the wrong moves, minus Soto.
New York will stand behind manager Carlos Mendoza. Pete Alonso will opt out of his contract and enter free agency. That hasn't stopped those within the organization from pointing fingers.
"We were a better team, talent-wise, this year than we were last year," a veteran Mets player told The Athletic. "Everyone will always compare this year versus last year. On paper, we are a much better team this year than we were last year, and I don't think it's necessarily close. It just didn't work."
An anonymous Mets scout claimed its the roster, rather than the player development staff, that deserves most the blame.
"Their best hitters are bad defenders and vice versa," the scout said.
Either way, New York has to look in the mirror this winter. It's going to be a long offseason in Queens.
Pirates won't get rid of Ben Cherington, much to fans' dismay
The Pittsburgh Pirates wasted another year of Paul Skenes. That is Ben Cherington's fault. It was his decision to hire and then fire Derek Shelton. Pittsburgh has a 363-504 with Cherington in charge of baseball operations, and are stuck in a permanent rebuild. Sure, Cherington doesn't have much to work with thanks to baseball's broken luxury tax system, which rewards owners like Bob Nutting for not spending money on their roster.
The outlook for Pittsburgh isn't completely negative heading into this winter. The Pirates rotation looks...remotely sound. Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler and Mitch Keller should headline the pitching staff in 2026. The question is whether the Pirates can add the right pieces around that rotation to win next season. Considering Cherington's approach since taking over in 2019, Pirates fans will have to be patient.
The Pirates most realistic path forward is building from within. Cherington's had plenty of time to build from scratch – it's been six long years in Pittsburgh. The team lacks direction, and everyone from Skenes to established veterans like Andrew McCutchen are fed up with losing. It's up to Cherington to do something about it, or risk wasting another season of Pirates' fans existence on this earth.
What will the Orioles do with Adley Rutschman?
After a frustrating season for the Baltimore Orioles came to a close, Mike Elias addressed the media, and made clear that Adley Rutschman is not on the trade block. Despite rumors the former No. 1 overall pick might be traded – and that could still be the case, despite what Elias says – the Orioles remain committed to the possibility of playing two catchers. It's been done before, just ask the Atlanta Braves.
"Yes. Adley is the guy. He will be our frontline catcher," Elias said, per a video from the Orioles' YouTube account. "Frustrating season for him coming off of a frustrating second half [in 2024]. He's aware of it, we're all aware of it, we're all working on it. There were injuries sprinkled in this year that I think were a factor in him kind of getting out of sync again."
Considering the Orioles lack of financial resources – even under a new ownership group – they ought to consider dealing Rutschman for starting pitching, which is the team's biggest offseason need. Unless Baltimore plans on spending up this winter, they are wasting their competitive window by not dealing from a position of strength.
This season, Adley had just a .673 OPS and a .220 batting average in 322 at-bats. Meanwhile, Orioles prospect Samuel Basallo showed some promise early before crashing back down to earth late in the season. Rutschman had the better year, but the Orioles can't have it all. How does Elias expect to contend without dealing from an area of strength? Baltimore isn't known for opening its purse strings.