MACK - MORE STUFF - Pete Alonso, Bo Bichette, Best Mets Lineup In History, Tarik Skubal, Steve Barningham, Babe Ruth, Edwin Diaz, Clay Holmes, Ty Cobb

 

How much should the New York Mets pay to bring back Pete Alonso — again?

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6734412/2025/10/21/mets-pete-alonso-free-agent/

A year after taking a “bridge” contract and delivering a strong bounce-back campaign, you can imagine Alonso wanting to cash in with a long-term deal. But it’s hard to find the team that would give him a six- or seven-year contract now that he’ll play 2026 at 31. Alonso’s peers (by WAR) are more Eric Hosmer, Anthony Rizzo and Christian Walker than they are Freddie Freeman, Chris Davis or Vladimir Guerrero Jr. And so we can envision something like a three-year deal for $90 million or a four-year contract for $110 million. If the latter, he’ll end up making $140 million from 2025 through 2029 — the deal we thought he could get last winter.

 

4 MLB free agents about to raise their price tags in the World Series

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Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays, SS

Well, yeah. Depending on how you feel about Kyle Tucker, Bichette is arguably the best pending free agent regardless of position. Even with his lingering knee injury, Bichette made it clear that he intends to play in the World Series.

“I’ll be ready,” Bichette told reporters on Monday night. “I don’t know how they’re using me, but I’ll be ready.”

Bichette hasn’t played since early September, and Andrés Giménez has done an excellent job filling in at shortstop. Purists might not want to admit it, but this situation perfectly justifies the universal DH. Toronto won’t have to worry about limiting Bichette to pinch-hitting duties when the Blue Jays play in Los Angeles.

Had he not gotten hurt, Bichette should have finished with his second 100-RBI season, and was only six doubles away from joining Carlos Delgado and John Olerud as the only players in franchise history with a 50-double campaign. It’s hard to fault the Dodgers if they’re hoping not to see much of Bichette.

Potential suitors: Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, and most teams that actually want to win a World Series in 2026 (sorry, Pirates fans).

 

The Best Starting 9 in Each MLB Franchise's Modern History

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Starting 9

C Mike Piazza

1B Pete Alonso

2B Jeff McNeil

3B David Wright

SS José Reyes

OF Carlos Beltrán

OF Brandon Nimmo

OF Michael Conforto

SP Jacob deGrom

Explain the Pick: C Mike Piazza

• While the bulk of his production came during the 1990s, slugger Mike Piazza still put together elite seasons in 2000 (155 OPS+, 38 HR, 113 RBI), 2001 (148 OPS+, 36 HR, 94 RBI) and 2002 (138 OPS+, 33 HR, 98 RBI) before he started to decline in his mid-30s. 

That three-year stretch was enough to make him an easy choice at catcher, ahead of Travis d'Arnaud, Paul Lo Duca and Francisco Alvarez.

 

Tarik Skubal

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/mets-predicted-trade-kodai-senga-151529836.html

For this reason, the New York Mets could make a major push to trade for the left-hander.

“It seems unlikely the Mets would trade Nolan McLean, but two of their other young starters—Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong—could be part of a trade. It would also be interesting to know if the Tigers, who have made the playoffs in consecutive years, would try to pry David Peterson or Kodai Senga away in a trade return so they could contend in 2026. Should the Tigers consider offers for Skubal this offseason, the Mets' mix of need, young pitching and financial might would make them the heavy favorites,” Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly

 

Francys Romero               @francysromeroFR

Steve Barningham, former International Director of the Mets from 2021 to 2024, is back on the field, per sources.

He took a new role with the Braves as an INT and PRO scout. In New York, he oversaw signings like Amed Rosario, Francisco Álvarez, Andrés Giménez, and Elian Peña.

 

Pitch Profiler                     @pitchprofiler

Babe Ruth doesn’t even sniff 100 home runs if he had to face today’s 100 mph demons with wipeout sweepers instead of Joe the Plumber, who fixed sewage lines all night before tossing his third complete game in three days because he only throws 72 mph. 

Daniel Wexler                   @WexlerRules

Per BaseballAmerica RHP J. Lara was one of the biggest velocity gainers in all of minor league baseball. Lara +4.3 MPH (94.4) in 2025. LHP F. Gomez added 3.1 (91.5), D. Orellana 2.8 (94.1), Troesser 2.6 (93.7), C. Rodriguez 2.2 (93.8), J. Lopez/I.Cota 2.0 (92.7) 

Three questions facing the New York Mets this offseason

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1. Are Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz worth bringing back?

Alonso and Diaz are expected to opt out of their contracts this offseason with an eye toward a long-term deal in free agency. Both players should have robust markets after a strong showing in 2025. Diaz posted a 1.63 ERA and a 0.874 WHiP over his 66.1 innings, notching 28 saves while striking out 98 batters. Alonso rebounded from a pair of disappointing seasons to post .272/.347/.524 batting line with 38 homers and a league leading 41 doubles in 709 plate appearances.

If the Mets needed to choose between the two, Diaz may be the more pressing need. He has been a lockdown closer and thrived in New York. Alonso, meanwhile, is limited to first base defensively and may need to shift to the designated hitter role in the near future. Given the Mets' other holes, president of baseball operations David Stearns may be reluctant to meet their price tag.

 

Clay Holmes

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Despite a productive first season with the New York Mets, could this starting pitcher be on the move after just one year?

In an October 20 article for Bleacher Report, Kerry Miller named Clay Holmes as a possible trade candidate for the Athletics this offseason.

"If you just take out that disastrous stretch from May 6 through June 4 in which the A's lost 24 out of 27 games, they actually had a solid season, going 34-24 from July 24 onward," Miller wrote. "They need to improve the rotation if they want to contend in 2026, though, and doing so via a $200 million signing isn't exactly the John Fisher way, to put it lightly. But if the Mets beef up their rotation, they might be willing to part with Holmes, whose exceptionally low career rate of home runs allowed would come in handy at Sutter Health Park."

The Mets signed Holmes last offseason to a three-year, $38 million deal with a player option after the 2026 season to be a starter for New York's pitching rotation. Despite not having started a game since 2018, Holmes strung together a productive first season in Flushing.

 

Jim Koenigsberger                          @Jimfrombaseball

Asked in the late 1950`s, what he would hit if he played today?

Ty Cobb replied "about .275."

When the interviewer expressed shock, Cobb added,

"I am almost 70 years old".

Ty Cobb

Professional Baseball Player

Royston, Georgia, 1960