The Mets have grabbed headlines for the moves they haven't made this offseason, namely watching Pete Alonso sign with Baltimore and head to Los Angeles. The club is actively working to add on the offensive side, though, with the Cardinals as a potential trade partner. Will Sammon of The Athletic reports the Mets have interest in outfielder Lars Nootbaar, while John Denton of MLB.com reports New York reached out about Willson Contreras.
Kopech began the year on the 15-day injured list because of a right shoulder impingement that was believed to be related to lingering effects from forearm inflammation that surfaced during the 2024 postseason. Kopech wasn't activated until June 7 and landed back on the injured list July 1 due to right knee inflammation. That was followed by undergoing surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee.
Brendan Donovan has been one of the top trade targets for clubs seeking offensive help. The Royals, Mariners, Pirates, Guardians and Astros have all been tied to the lefty-hitting utilityman at points this offseason. Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Giants have been in the mix for Donovan as well. Goold lists San Francisco alongside Seattle and Kansas City among the teams that have kept in touch with the Cardinals as they gauge the market. Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox have also talked with the Cards about Donovan, though he's one of myriad star infielders whom Boston has considered.
The lefty made 32 starts in 2024. He had a 14-start stretch in the middle where he posted a 6.18 ERA, 19.8 K%, and 11.4 BB%. That 8.3 K-BB% was the fourth-worst in baseball among qualified starters during that June 3rd-August 17th period. Before and after that, Gore pitched like an ace. His velocity was up early in the season, spiking to 96.6 miles per hour from the beginning of the year through July 1st. It was a full mile per hour slower from that point on.
Right-hander didn't have the platform season he envisioned heading into free agency, but the former Cy Young finalist and All-Star nevertheless turned down a qualifying offer from the D-backs and hit the open market last month. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Giants have had conversations with Gallen's camp ( video link). MLB.com's Mark Feinsand adds the Angels and Tigers to the list of teams with interest in Gallen. He also indicates that the Orioles, Cubs and Braves have at least looked into Gallen.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been connected to multiple relief pitchers, but have yet to land one of their targets. That list included Devin Williams, Raisel Iglesias and Ryan Helsley, who all signed new contracts. Edwin Díaz remains in play as the top available option, but the Dodgers are unlikely to meet his demands. Outside of Díaz, Robert Suarez is the best relief pitcher still available in free agency.
Eldridge tore up the Double-A level this year with a .280/.350/.512 slash line (147 wRC+) in 140 trips to the plate to start the season before being promoted to Triple-A, where he spent most of the year and posted a .249/.322/.514 slash line. That was good for a wRC+ of just 105 thanks to the inflated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League, but Eldridge's 18 homers in 66 games is hard to argue with.
Another came on Halloween, the day Blake Butera became the Washington Nationals' choice despite being just 33 years old. But the biggest stunner of all, according to several coaches and executives queried by ESPN, followed six days later, when former relief pitcher Craig Stammen -- barely two years into retirement and hardly even mentioned as a potential manager previously -- landed baseball's top on-field job with the San Diego Padres.
Vazquez, 25, was acquired by the Orioles in a minor trade with the Cubs last offseason. A 14th-round pick by Chicago back in 2017, he didn't make his big league debut until last year in an 11-game cameo with the Cubs. He got a larger look in a bench role with Baltimore this past year, but still has yet to establish himself as more than a depth option at the big league level.
The Giants are expected to add Justin Meccage as their pitching coach, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Meccage has spent the majority of his coaching tenure in the Pirates' organization. He was most recently a minor league coach in the Brewers' system. After a brief playing career, Meccage got his coaching start in the college ranks. After seven years spent between the University of Texas-Pan American and Arkansas State University from 2004 to 2010, Meccage headed to the pros.
It's been known for nearly a month now that NPB infielder Kazuma Okamoto is set to be posted by the Yomiuri Giants this winter, but a report from Nikkan Sports ( Japanese language link) this morning provided a bit more specificity regarding Okamoto's timeline. He'll be officially posted tomorrow, on November 19th, and that will kick off a 45-day window for teams to negotiate with Okamoto, who is represented by Scott Boras of the Boras Corporation.
Dean had spent the his entire professional career in the Atlanta Braves organization before the 2025 season, with the Dodgers signing him after 2024. Dean made his debut for the Dodgers in 2025, featuring in 18 games during the regular season. He also came in for 13 games during the postseason, and was on the Dodgers' World Series winning roster.
President of baseball operations Buster Posey told reporters this week in Las Vegas during MLB's GM Meetings that Hallberg, his roommate at Florida State, and catching coach Alex Burg were deciding whether to stay with the Giants or purse other options. He's one of those that we'd love to have back, but he has been kind of a popular guy with some other teams, as well, Posey told reporter on Tuesday. We're working through that.