LAS VEGAS \u2014 On the heels of one of the most-watched and most thrilling postseasons in history, baseball is back in the news this week as the general manager meetings begin Monday in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
The Cosmopolitan hotel and casino is an interesting backdrop given the charges leveled at Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz<\/a> that were made public Sunday in an unsealed indictment. Federal prosecutors charged them with fraud, conspiracy and bribery stemming from an alleged gambling scheme, and it will no doubt be a topic of discussion this week in Sin City. Baseball executives fielding questions about gambling while slot machines ding and cards are dealt behind them feels a little on-the-nose.<\/p>\n Nothing to see here, folks.<\/p>\n Considering it\u2019s the GM meetings and not the busier winter meetings, there may not actually be much to see. These meetings are more of a precursor to what\u2019s to come once the hot stove season heats up.<\/p>\n Brian Cashman once called them a \u201cnecessary evil.\u201d Two years ago, the longtime Yankees general manager produced one of the more memorable moments at the GM meetings when he angrily defended his club from criticism of their supposed overuse of analytics.<\/p>\n He\u2019ll have to face more scrutiny this season as the Yankees once again exited the postseason far earlier than anticipated, one year after winning the American League pennant. But it\u2019s his counterpart in Queens, president of baseball operations David Stearns, that could be facing the most intense scrutiny.<\/p>\n Stearns has not spoken publicly since the end of the regular season. Since then, the Mets parted ways with much of the on-field Major League staff, clearing the way for a new group that will be aiding manager Carlos Mendoza in 2026, his third season at the helm. The staff isn\u2019t yet set, with a pitching coach and first base coach still needed.<\/p>\n Two of the Mets\u2019 most important players, first baseman Pete Alonso<\/a> and closer Edwin Diaz<\/a>, recently became free agents. They\u2019re both expected to command high-dollar deals on the market. While the Mets, under owner Steve Cohen, have been known for high payrolls and big contracts, Stearns has been careful and strategic in how he has allocated money every winter. The reclamation project pitching staff might have worked in 2024, but it didn\u2019t in 2025.<\/p>\n