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The “New Year, New Me” New York Mets added Freddy Peralta and Luis Robert Jr. in trades. Plus: Cody Bellinger goes back to the Bronx, and we have two new Hall of Fame inductees. I’m Levi Weaver, let’s start with Ken Rosenthal today — welcome to The Windup!

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Ken’s Notebook: Evaluating Mets moves and concerns 

Thanks, Levi. Here’s an excerpt from my latest column:

The Mets’ failure to qualify for the postseason with the game’s second-highest payroll last season more than justified Stearns’ gutting of the roster. On paper, Stearns has compensated for the free-agent defections of first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Díaz and trades of left fielder Brandon Nimmo and infielder/outfielder Jeff McNeil. And his acquisition Wednesday night of right-handers Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers from the Brewers addressed the team’s one remaining need, a top-of-the-rotation starter.

Stearns’ predecessor, Billy Eppler, was the head of baseball operations in 2022 when the Mets drafted the two players they traded to the Brewers, right-hander Brandon Sproat and infielder/outfielder Jett Williams. But Stearns in two-plus years at the helm has instituted processes to help make the Mets’ farm system one of the game’s best.

While both Sproat and Williams cracked Baseball America’s latest top 100 prospects, the Mets placed four others on the list, tying the White Sox and Guardians for the most of any club. At the major-league level, none of the Mets’ additions has come with a commitment of more than three years, creating room for the club to integrate young talent.

The flip side of Stearns’ short-term strategy is that Peralta and Bo Bichette could be gone after one year. The same goes for new center fielder Robert Jr., too, if he proves unworthy of the Mets picking up his $20 million club option. Jorge Polanco and Luke Weaver signed for two years. Reliever Devin Williams took three, and the Mets exchanged five years of Nimmo for three of 2B Marcus Semien

Future turnover, then, is inevitable. But that’s a matter for another day. The bigger immediate concerns are whether this team can stay healthy, and whether it will improve as much defensively as Stearns envisioned — and in that area again, the Mets couldn’t be much worse. They ranked 21st in Outs Above Average last season and 22nd in defensive efficiency (converting batted balls into outs).

Stearns trumpeted the idea Wednesday the Mets’ infield will include four players who began their career as shortstops. Polanco began working at first last season with Seattle, so it’s not difficult to picture him being at least as good as Alonso. Bichette’s arm at third is a question, but he will have all spring to adapt to different throwing angles. Semien, meanwhile, is coming off a Gold Glove season at second with Texas. The bigger question with him is whether at age 35 he can rebound from back-to-back, sub-.700 OPS seasons.

More Peralta trade: Keith Law says the Brewers did well in their return for Peralta. Check out our trade grades for both teams.

Back to you, Levi.

Big Swings: Mets trade for Luis Robert Jr.

In our last Windup, I noted the Mets appeared to now have too many infielders: As for the other (infielders) … maybe they just became part of the plan to get one more outfielder?

That was correct. Luisangel Acuña was the odd man out, heading to the White Sox with 22-year-old minor-league pitcher Truman Pauley for Luis Robert Jr.

This is a super exciting trade … if you haven’t paid attention to baseball since 2023.

That was the first year Robert stayed healthy, hitting 38 home runs, making his first All-Star Game, winning a Silver Slugger award and finishing 12th in AL MVP voting!

And the return: Acuña, the infield prospect the Mets acquired from the Rangers in the Max Scherzer trade. Wow! What a blockbuster!

Welcome to 2026, though. The White Sox lost 101 games in 2023, and another 223 in the two years since. Coincidentally, .223 is also Robert’s combined batting average over the last two years (.660 OPS). His speed and defense haven’t declined, though — and outfield defense is something the Mets needed.

And it’s not like Acuña has maintained his mega-prospect status. He’s been middling in 214 big-league at-bats over the last two years.

Both teams are surely hoping their guy will be the one to break out under new surroundings.

Trade Grades: Andy McCullough and Zack Meisel get out the red pens for the Luis-a-thon.

Welcome Back: Cody Bellinger, Yankees (finally) reunite

I’m not saying “Just kiss already!” is the best way to describe this winter’s Yankees/Bellinger standoff, but it’s the one I kept coming back to. (C’mon, we know you two are going to end up together, right?)

But as Bellinger’s side held out for a seven-year deal, the Mets became engaged. When Kyle Tucker spurned the Mets for the Dodgers, it seemed like an all-New York bidding war might be in the cards.

But by Wednesday afternoon, with the Mets’ outfield vacancy filled by Robert, Bellinger was a Yankee again, signing for five years and $162.5 million.

Bellinger’s free-agency journey has been an odd one. The 2017 NL Rookie of the Year and 2019 NL MVP with the Dodgers, he seemed destined for a mega deal. But his final two years in L.A. were bad, as he struggled to recover from a shoulder injury he sustained in the 2020 postseason.

That led to a one-year pillow deal with the Cubs in 2023, and he returned to form, hitting .307 (.881 OPS) with 26 home runs. Good enough for a long-term deal, right?

Nope. It took until late February 2024 for him to return to the Cubs on just a three-year contract. Last December, he was salary-dump traded to the Yankees and was excellent in the Bronx, logging 5.1 bWAR.

That seemed like the perfect time to opt out and hit free agency again, at age 30.

Five years and $162.5 million isn’t scraps. The $32.5 million AAV ties him with Nolan Arenado and Corey Seager for 17th highest in 2026. I guess I’m just surprised that this will be the biggest contract of his career.

More Yankees: If it feels like New York is just running it back … is that so bad?

Welcome In: Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones join HOF

With no slam-dunk first-timers on the ballot and a big influx in first-time voters, it was a weird year for Hall of Fame voting. So why wouldn’t it be an unusual outcome? Two center fielders — Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones — were elected.

Why is that weird? From Jayson Stark’s column:

Before this election, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America had elected only two true center fielders — Ken Griffey Jr. in 2016 and Kirby Puckett in 2001 — in the previous 45 years. 

Beltrán was an interesting case. Statistically? No-doubter. He finished with 2,725 hits, 435 home runs and 312 stolen bases. Only four others have done that. Willie Mays and Andre Dawson are Hall of Famers, and Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez … aren’t (for other reasons).

That leads me to the “but”: Beltrán’s role with the trash-can bangin’ 2017 Astros. It was, with no equivocation, cheating. Isn’t a World Series title more impactful than, say, some intentionally bad pitches?

Jones’ candidacy had issues too. He’s one of only four players with 10 Gold Gloves and 400+ home runs (Mays, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Schmidt). But his other career numbers are very borderline, and his 2012 domestic violence arrest certainly gave pause.

I don’t have a vote for a few more years, but I’m not sure where I would have landed with either guy if I had voted this year.

Nevertheless, they’re Hall of Famers now. They’ll join Jeff Kent at this year’s induction.

More Hall of Fame: Stark takes an early look at the 2027 ballot. Got questions for his HOF Q&A?

Handshakes and High Fives

Chad Jennings’ “Tiers of Trying” column also doubles as a handy team-by-team recap of the entire offseason.

Alex Bregman wore No. 2 as a reminder the Diamondbacks didn’t take him with the first pick of the 2015 draft. The guy they did take is now his teammate. (Bregman will wear No. 3 with the Cubs, as he chases his third ring.)

Jen McCaffrey has the story of Boston’s pivot from Bregman to Ranger Suárez, while Charlotte Varnes reveals the awkwardness in the reunion between J.T. Realmuto and the Phillies.

Katie Woo reports that Kyle Tucker had an offer of 10 years and $350 million from the Blue Jays, but opted to sign with the Dodgers for less.

… and that made the other owners very mad.

On the pods: Rates & Barrels have two more positional previews for you: second base and catcher.

Most-clicked in our last newsletter: I feel a little bad tricking you by saying there was hidden camera footage from the Dodgers’ Winter Meeting suite. (I stand by the reference, though.)

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