In the span of a weekend, the Mets lost their franchise home run leader and one of the best closers in team history. Pete Alonso signed with the Baltimore Orioles, while Edwin Diaz took a three-year contract from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Mets failed to make a final offer to either player. Alonso was gone as soon as the final game of the Mets season ended. Diaz was a different story, as he chose to take the Dodgers offer before hearing if the Mets could counter. Both players divulged a little bit more into their respective free-agent chases when they were introduced by the Orioles and Dodgers respectively.
Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz threw shade at the Mets
Alonso and Diaz didn't hide from the fact that the Mets made it easy to leave. Alonso signed with the Orioles in part because New York never made an offer beyond three years. Alonso eventually signed a five-year contract with the Orioles that will keep him in Baltimore long term. Diaz, meanwhile, received a three-year deal from the Dodgers that the Mets likely would've matched. None of it mattered. The Dodgers contract has deferred money. The Mets deal came a few million dollars short, and that's all it took.
Pete Alonso: “There was no hesitation at all…”
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 15, 2025
Edwin Díaz: “Picking the Dodgers was pretty easy.”#MLBNHotStove reacts to the two former Mets' introductory press conference comments from Friday. pic.twitter.com/noQ3qpomnu
I cannot blame the Mets for losing out on Alonso. A five-year deal for a player on the wrong side of 30 reeks of desperation, and the Orioles certainly must make some progress this coming season. It doesn't matter if they fall flat in the years to come. Alonso has 40-home run power, mind you.
Losing out on Diaz cannot be forgiven unless the Mets are able to replace him in-house. Thankfully, the Mets signed Devin Williams for this very reason. They've also been mentioned in trade rumors for Mason Miller, which would be incredibly out of character for Stearns.
Why Mets stars were so hard on David Stearns
Alonso and Diaz were stars who predated Stearns hiring. Because of this, he did not have much loyalty to them when they reached free agency. Per reports, the Mets were willing to sign both Diaz and Alonso to lucrative three-year deals. It should come as no surprise that three years wasn't enough, given the market for players in their early-30's.
Do I blame Stearns for not offering either player a deal in the four-to-five-year range? Not necessarily, but given how quickly they were snatched up, it does suggest the Mets underestimated the interest in their own star players.
New York doesn't have an easy replacement for Alonso. They signed Jorge Polanco in what some pundits called a panic move earlier this week. Mark Vientos isn't a one-for-one replacement at the plate, either. As for Diaz, the Mets best hope at this point is that Williams proves he can be a closer again. If not, New York will be forced to rely on a subpar bullpen.