Mets Daily January 10, 2026

The Mets settled with all six arbitration-eligible players: David Peterson ($8.1M), Tylor Megill ($2.5M), Reed Garrett ($1.3M), Huascar Brazobán ($1.05M), Francisco Alvarez ($2.4M), Luis Torrens ($2.275M). Peterson’s number jumps because he just gave you 30 starts (4.22 ERA) in 2025, while Megill and Garrett are basically “paying you to rehab” contracts with Tommy John recoveries on deck.
Opening Day just got a lot louder: Mets vs. Pirates on Thursday, March 26 at 1:00 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock, with Juan Soto in the Bronx-to-Queens debut spot and Paul Skenes on the other side. Citi Field is going to be a zoo, in the good way.
Ji Hwan Bae got outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse, and the Mets’ 40-man roster sits at 38. Translation: two open chairs for whatever pitching move Stearns is cooking up.
Soto’s defense is the one “yeah, but…” that isn’t going away: he finished 2025 tied for the worst Outs Above Average at -12. If the Mets want him in right every day, the glove plan has to be real, not vibes.

Max Kepler caught an 80-game PED suspension. The season is long, the headlines are longer.
The Dodgers added Andy Ibáñez for infield depth. It’s never the move you’re excited about, it’s the move that prevents a June lineup card from looking like a cry for help.
Miami dealt Edward Cabrera to the Cubs, then immediately started talking like a team that might still trade from the rotation again if the return is right. Offseason logic: “We’re done trading pitching… unless someone calls.”

Braves: Claimed George Soriano off waivers, DFA’d Brett Wisely. Atlanta treats the back of the 40-man like a revolving door with good lighting.
Phillies: They’re talking with Bo Bichette. That’s either “we’re serious” or “we want everyone to think we’re serious,” but it’s definitely “we’re not standing pat.”
Marlins: Rotation picture now circles Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Ryan Weathers, Max Meyer, Braxton Garrett, and they’re reportedly open to adding a boring veteran innings-eater. Miami loves optionality like Mets fans love arguing about optionality.
Nationals: Claimed Paxton Schultz off waivers from Toronto. He’s a fresh arm with some strikeout intrigue, and Washington needs those lottery tickets to actually scratch.

January 10, 2006: The Mets signed first-round pick Mike Pelfrey to a four-year deal. Big Pelf was the human definition of “stuff vs. results,” which is basically a Mets genre.
Remembering Bud Harrelson, who passed away on January 10, 2024. If you grew up on Mets baseball, Bud’s name is part of the wiring.
January 10 also marks the passing of Felix Mantilla (2025), a former Met from the early years who bounced through a bunch of baseball’s most interesting decades.
Birthday watch: Ervin Santana was born on January 10. Mets tenure was short and cursed, but that’s still a Mets sentence.

David Peterson (2025): 4.22 ERA across 30 starts. That’s not ace talk, that’s “you don’t crumble every fifth day” talk, which matters a lot in April and May.
Francisco Alvarez: 48 career homers already, with a .735 OPS through his first 304 MLB games. The power is real, the next step is consistency.
Juan Soto (2025 defense): -12 OAA (tied worst). If he’s your everyday RF, late-inning defense and positioning can’t be an afterthought.
Ji Hwan Bae: In the majors: 37 steals across four seasons but a .223/.294/.293 line. In Triple-A: the bat looks like a different person. The Mets are betting the “different person” shows up.