50 Shades of Orange

The 2025 Winter Meetings in Orlando has come to a close, but there is still a plethora of free agents who are waiting to see if any teams would claim them. However, the MLB offseason has been filled with drama. If you're a New York Mets fan, I feel your pain. I'll fill everyone else in on what has occurred for the last three weeks. The Mets traded Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for three-time All-Star and World Series champion Marcus Semien. Then, their closer Edwin Díaz signed a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But wait, there's more. The two-year-old question on whether or not Pete Alonso would return the team for the 2026 season had finally been answered. The 31-year-old, known as the Polar Bear, signed a five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles. Once the news of him heading to Baltimore spread across the baseball world, Mets fans were absolutely furious. Furious might be an understatement but pissed off was an even better term to describe the outrage Mets fans have felt. Alonso was seeking a five-year deal with the Mets, but the ball club wasn't willing to offer him a deal that was more than three years. If you're keeping count, that's three players that the Mets let go of.

President of Baseball Operations David Stearns has been the center of the wrath from both Mets fans and baseball fans for letting three of their best players walk away. To add insult to injury, the Mets had the audacity to send their fans emails letting them know that tickets to their Spring Training games were on sale. The fact that this organization had some nerve to do something like this at a time when their fans were hurting was insulting. This was a condescending move on their part, using it as a distraction from the heavy criticism they've received. During the 2025 season, the Mets won 83 games. At one point, they were first in the National League East for the first half of the season, but experienced a huge collapse to conclude the final half of the season, missing the playoffs altogether. It's going to be a difficult 2026 for the Mets, but I don't see the returning to the Postseason after everything that has unfolded this week. Mets fans better protect Francisco Lindor at all costs, because if the organization were to trade him to another team, the outrage would've been a lot bigger. What was David Stearns thinking? This is the second year of me writing about the MLB offseason and keeping everyone updated on the latest news, but this was the most idiotic one of them all, thanks to Stearns. He's going to catch even more hell once the regular season begins and for as long as he's in his current role. There are people who are calling for him to be fired, because no sane organization would do something like this. If the Mets don't make it to the playoffs in 2026, will the front office be forced to make some changes, including relieving David Stearns of his duties? Mets fans are still reeling from what has happened this week and still angry, rightfully so. I sympathize with them and hopefully they'll heal from this debacle made by Stearns.

As for how I felt about Pete Alonso becoming an Oriole, I honestly didn't see it coming. I didn't feel any kind of way about it, only to say that the American League East will be a lot more competitive. The Toronto Blue Jays are the reigning division champs, as well as winning the AL Pennant. Pete Alonso being with the Orioles is a win for their organization. He's been in the league since 2019 and will be entering his eighth year. We'll see how the Polar Bear performs with his new team, come Spring Training and during the 2026 regular season.

Mets fans, you have my permission to rant as much as you desire about the moves David Stearns has made in the comments below. Everyone else can also chime in on their thoughts about this topic. If you enjoyed this story, please give it a like. Make sure you follow me on my socials. Finally, please leave a generous one-off tip. It'll be found at the end of this story. Big or small, your tips will support creators like me so we can keep publishing new stories and share them with everyone.