Mets Dail January 9, 2026

Arbitration: clean sweep. The Mets avoided hearings with all six arbitration-eligible guys: David Peterson ($8.1M), Francisco Álvarez ($2.4M), Luis Torrens ($2.275M), Tylor Megill ($2.5M), Reed Garrett ($1.3M), Huascar Brazobán ($1.05M). Total: $17.625M locked in, no drama, no “file-and-trial” scars.
Rotation hunt: trade-first mindset is real. The front office is signaling it would rather trade for starting pitching than hand out another long-term free agent arm deal. Translation: prospects and young big leaguers are officially “on the menu,” not just mentioned in whispers.
Infield surplus is now a tool, not a problem. Names being floated as available in talks include Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio, Luisangel Acuña. That’s the clearest “we’re converting bats into innings” tell we’ve gotten all winter.
The market just got tighter. Edward Cabrera coming off the board thins an already limited trade pool, which tends to crank up the prospect price for anyone still standing.
Kyle Tucker noise keeps hanging around. Mets interest chatter hasn’t died. The fit is obvious: impact lefty bat, real outfield juice. The price is also obvious: the kind that makes fans argue in all caps for weeks.

Skubal vs. Tigers is headed for a showdown. Detroit and Tarik Skubal exchanged numbers with a $13M gap ($32M vs $19M). That’s not a “meet in the middle” situation, that’s two cars doing 90 toward the same bridge.
Yankees going big-game hunting (again). New York’s offer to Cody Bellinger is reportedly north of $30M AAV, while Bellinger is still pushing for seven years. Somebody’s bluffing. Somebody’s not.
MLB flirting with chaos. The league has had internal conversations about an in-season tournament and other schedule changes. Expect lots of “just exploring ideas” before anything real happens.
Pirates add a real professional hitter. Ryan O’Hearn lands in Pittsburgh on a two-year deal after a strong 2025 across Baltimore and San Diego.
Realignment talk is back. Commissioner Rob Manfred discussed potential geographic division realignment tied to possible expansion to 32 teams.

Braves: Claimed Jordan Waldichuk off waivers. Rotation depth lottery ticket, the kind contenders collect like spare batteries.
Phillies: Set to meet with Bo Bichette. That’s a loud “we’re not done” move for a lineup that already punishes mistakes.
Marlins: Cabrera trade changes their direction and changes the pitching trade landscape for everyone chasing starters, including the Mets.
Nationals: Avoided arbitration with Keibert Ruiz on a $6M deal and also settled with Luis García Jr. and MacKenzie Gore. Quiet, competent offseason work, which is annoying when rivals do it.

Jan 9, 2005: Carlos Beltrán agreed in principle to join the Mets, then made it official two days later on a 7-year, $119M deal. Big swing, franchise-shaping signing, still argued about like it happened last week.
Beltrán’s Mets legacy: Elite all-around production, Gold Gloves, huge moments, plus one strikeout that certain corners of the universe still treat like a personal injury.
Born on Jan 9: Ralph Terry (former Met) and Phil Mankowski (former Met). Baseball is weirdly specific like that.
Also on this date: A reminder that “Mets history” always includes a little greatness, a little pain, and a whole lot of extremely strong opinions.

Arbitration total (Mets, today’s group): $17.625M across the six deals. That’s real roster math, not headline math.
Tax squeeze point: The Mets are sitting near the top luxury-tax tier line, where every extra dollar gets punished hard. That reality influences the “trade-first” rotation approach more than any press quote.
Prospect leverage: Independent rankings have the Mets system in the top 10 range, which is exactly why other teams keep calling. Depth creates options, options create trades.