MACK - IN FOCUS - Brendan Donavan, Roster Moves, Projected Rotation, Braves Moves, Major Hurdle, FA Starters, Mark Vientos, Blaze Jordan, Pete, Ketel Marte

 

Mets Batflip                   @metsbatflip1

The Mets “love” Utility Man Brendan Donovan, per Jon Morosi.

Donovan is currently a very popular name on the trade market.

 

Running From The OPS        @OPS_BASEBALL

Brendan Donovan has been mentioned on the trade market, and plenty of teams would benefit from his presence. He had a 10 RV on 4-Seamers with a .370 BA and a Whiff% under 9%. Donovan displays great plate discipline, limits swing and miss, and posted 2.9 fWAR this season.

Predicting Every MLB Team's 2026 Opening Day Starting Rotation

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New York Mets

Projected Starting Rotation

1. RHP Freddy Peralta

2. LHP David Peterson

3. RHP Nolan McLean

4. LHP Sean Manaea

5. RHP Tatsuya Imai

Quick Thoughts: The Mets have not been afraid to cut their losses under Steve Cohen, first with Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, and more recently with Frankie Montas being released. Point being, they are not going to lock Sean Manaea and Clay Holmes into rotation spots simply because of their salaries.

A blockbuster deal to acquire Freddy Peralta and a roll of the dice on flame-throwing Japanese starter Tatsuya Imai would reshape this rotation, while Kodai Senga is a trade candidate, Holmes could easily slide back into the bullpen, and Manaea is a candidate to be outright released if he starts slow.

Other Internal Candidates: RHP Clay Holmes, RHP Jonah Tong, RHP Brandon Sproat, RHP Christian Scott

MACK - this is crazy stupid. 

 

Mets, Phillies should be feeling the heat after Braves’ flurry of moves

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Atlanta has already taken steps to address two key areas of need. Dubón offers coverage at shortstop. Ideally, the Braves can re-sign Ha-Seong Kim or aim even higher for a full-time starter, but Dubón — a two-time Gold Glove winner — can shoulder that load if needed. His positional flexibility is a nice boon, too: He played literally every position except catcher and pitcher in 2025.

Igelsias is merely a reunion, bit an important one. The 35-year-old still ranks among the top closers in baseball. Last season was rocky at times, but Iglesias was lights-out down the stretch, one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise dour Braves season. Anthopoulos has already said he plans to add "a lot of relievers," while also noting his priorities at shortstop and in the starting rotation.

Igelsias figures to be that bullpen anchor, but Atlanta could raise the stakes and invite spring training competition if Anthopoulos really commits to beefing up this bullpen. Several quality relievers are floating around the free agent market this offseason: Edwin Díaz, Robert Suárez, Pete Fairbanks, Ryan Helsley and more. There are also potential trade candidates, which is more traditionally Anthopoulos' speed. Names such as Matt Strahm and Dennis Santana could be intriguing.

After back-to-back postseason whiffs, the Braves are itching to climb back into the contenders circle. This is a solid start to the most critical offseason of Anthopoulos' Atlanta tenure. In the end, the Braves just need to stay healthy. But there's a lot of room to improve along the margins of this roster. Adding a quality starter to the mix behind Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Specer Schwellenbach? Adding an impactful shortstop, such as Bo Bichette? These are moves that can really push Atlanta toward the top of the division.

 

Major Hurdle Holding Up NY Mets Pursuit of Bregman and Bellinger

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A new report details a major hurdle holding the New York Mets back from another big move this offseason, besides trying to re-sign Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso.

The Mets have a lot of things they need to get done this winter. After a historic collapse in September, they need to rebuild their bullpen, find an ace or ace adjacent pitcher for the rotation, and find a permanent answer in center field.

However, for many long-time Mets fans, re-signing All-Stars Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz is a top priority. As of this week, New York is a top contender for the pair of stars. But bringing them back won’t be cheap and will add to an already bloated payroll.

Owner Steve Cohen has made it known publicly that he would like to slash payroll instead of adding to it in the years ahead. It’s why he has made President David Stearns prioritize building up their farm system. Their sizable payroll is also a reason why making big moves beyond re-signing Alonso and Diaz is currently on pause.

 

Tom Tango – Tangotiger     @tangotiger

After Skubal, Skenes, there's a lot of pitchers to choose from...

Wheeler is the Dave Stieb of this generation: never a Cy Young, but maybe the best pitcher over a long period. Age however will catch up

 

Anthony DiComo                 @AnthonyDiComo

At a "Metsgiving" charity event in Queens today, Mark Vientos says he has been taking equal reps at first and third base this offseason. He's also working to increase his lateral range. It's clear the Mets are looking at him as a multi-position option.

                      Sam Reingold        @NYMNYRNYGNYK

                      They say Pete Alonso is bad defensively we need to work on run prevention but put Mark Vientos at 1B who’s worse defensively and not the same run producer. I love Vientos as a DH

MACK – This makes me happy. There are multiple things Vientos has to do before he would get a starting slot on my team, but the first would be a full conversion to either DH or 1B. It seems that Cohen & Co. is convinced at lowering the entire cost of operating this team. The easiest way of doing this would be to cut fish with bad contracts and not resign both Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz. Me? I still would do everything in my power to get Diaz back for a maximum of four years, but if Vientos could raise his 1B defense to somewhere between Alonso and Lucas Duda, I’ll take it until Ryan Clifford makes the jump.

Unprotected From the Rule 5 Draft

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Blaze Jordan (1B/3B) – St. Louis Cardinals

2025 Stats: .29 G, 270/.331/.450, 19 HR, 99 RBI, 110 wRC+

Blaze Jordan has to be one of, if not the most surprising name left off of his team’s 40-man roster.

After he was acquired by the Cardinals at the deadline for left-handed reliever Steven Matz, many saw this new opportunity in the Cardinals organization as Jordan’s ticket to making his major league debut in a short time.

However, after he posted a 53 wRC+ in his brief stint with their Triple-A affiliate, the Cardinals decided not to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Jordan is best known for his prodigious power. This dates back to his days in high school, when he was hitting 480-foot home runs at showcases.

There is a good chance that a team at the top of the draft is willing to take a chance on the 22-year-old corner infielder, and it would not be surprising to see the decision to leave him unprotected come back to bite St. Louis down the line.

 

Cameron Maybin                   @CameronMaybin

I’m convinced some of these analysts don’t even watch baseball. How do you keep undervaluing Pete Alonso like his production is easy to find? Be serious.

The man has given the Mets .253 with 264 bombs and 712 RBIs in just 1,008 games… and folks still talk like you can just replace that in aisle 3 at Costco.

Mark my words… the minute he’s gone, everybody’s gonna realize real quick what the Polar Bear actually meant to that lineup.

Stop dis

 

Ketel Marte Mock Trade –