MLB Winter Meetings winners and losers: Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber get paid, pressure on Mets' David Stearns

The unusually quiet Winter Meetings are in the books, so who were baseball's biggest winners and losers this week?

Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings wrapped up on Wednesday, bringing the industry's disappointingly quiet four-day gathering in Orlando, Fla., to a merciful end. Only one major move was agreed to on getaway day, as the Orioles reached terms on a five-year pact with free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso. Alonso is leaving the Mets and will earn $31 million annually, or $155 million over the life of the contract. That gives him the second-largest financial commitment in franchise history, behind only Chris Davis' seven-year, $161 million deal. Elsewhere, MLB held its annual Rule 5 Draft. The Rockies chose Tigers right-hander RJ Petit with the No. 1 pick.

Earlier in the week, the Phillies re-signed slugger Kyle Schwarber on a record five-year, $150 million contract, while the World Series champion Dodgers shored up their bullpen with closer Edwin Díaz on a three-year, $69 million agreement.

Below, CBS Sports has placed a bow on these Winter Meetings by naming three winners and three losers. 

Winner: Sluggers

Over the last 10 to 15 years, it's become obvious that teams do not value bat-only corner players as highly as they may have a few decades ago. You wouldn't know that based on the five-year contracts awarded to Schwarber and Alonso.

The obvious reference point with Schwarber's free agency was to David Ortiz. But Ortiz was never able to do better than a four-year pact. Meanwhile, Alonso became the first right-handed-hitting first baseman to sign for at least four years since Byung-Ho Park in 2015. (And Park, it ought to be noted, was coming over from South Korea rather than signing as a traditional MLB free agent.)

Is the tide turning back toward the slugger with limited defensive value? Probably not. Combine the Alonso and Schwarber agreements with Josh Naylor's five-year deal earlier this winter, though, and you have one of the best winters that this player type has experienced in a while. 

Loser: Stearns' honeymoon period

Hey, no one said running the Mets would be easy. David Stearns has been New York's top baseball operations executive for more than two years now and he's starting to feel the heat after missing the postseason and allowing both Alonso and Díaz to leave through free agency. Factor in the Brandon Nimmo trade earlier this winter for second baseman Marcus Semien and it's clear that the Mets will have a new core heading forward. 

You can understand why any Mets fan would feel down about the situation. The emotional attachment to players is part of what makes baseball worth the investment. 

At the same time, it's easy to understand why Stearns would pass on ponying up for a reliever or a right-handed first baseman, two player types who aren't necessarily highly valued by the modern executive.

The key for Stearns is nailing what comes next. Throughout his time running the Brewers, he was able to uncover shockingly productive bullpen arms and first basemen. Whoever Stearns lands on here might not make for the same quality of headline -- and bear in mind, he already signed former Yankees reliever and rebound candidate Devin Williams to a multi-year deal -- but they could help reshape the Mets without requiring the same kind of costly long-term investments.

Winner: White Sox

The White Sox won Tuesday night's Draft Lottery, ensuring they'll make the No. 1 selection for the third time in franchise history and the first time in nearly 50 years. Previously, the White Sox selected (but did not sign) catcher Danny Goodwin in 1971 and outfielder/DH Harold Baines in 1977. Baines went on to author a Hall of Fame career that included parts of 14 seasons with Chicago.

Next July is a long way off, of course, and there's no telling how the White Sox will assess the class. Still, there's an early favorite for the top spot: UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky. CBS Sports wrote the following about Cholowsky earlier this week:

Cholowsky will probably enter the preseason ranked as my No. 1 draft prospect. He's an athletic shortstop who hit .353/.480/.710 last season with 23 home runs, seven stolen bases (on eight attempts), and 15 more walks than strikeouts. Cholowsky, also recruited by Notre Dame to play quarterback during his prep days, is a well-rounded player who ought to also provide value on defense and on the basepaths. He could become the second Bruin ever selected No. 1 in the June draft, joining Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (2011).

Whether or not Cholowsky goes the distance and lands the No. 1 pick, the White Sox can only hope he works out as well as Baines did back in the day.

Loser: Market clarity

For those keeping track, four of CBS Sports' top five (and seven of the top 10) ranked free agents remain available. Heck, players like outfielder Kyle Tucker and infielder Bo Bichette barely popped up in rumors this week. Most of the top trade targets remain in place, too. 

Factor in the looming lull that tends to take place around the holidays and a lot of business will need to be conducted on a truncated timeline between now and the start of spring training. 

Is that a problem? Maybe not a big one. But it does mean that anyone wanting a clear sense of where this or that team stands is out of luck.

Winner: Dave Roberts

No one is going to feel bad for Roberts, who just won his third World Series title as a manager, but his job should be a lot easier next season now that he has an obvious ninth-inning answer at his disposal in Edwin Díaz.

Though it may feel like ancient history, these Dodgers had an obvious flaw in the form of their bullpen in 2025. Roberts was able to mix and match and cover for a work relief corps with some creative managing, but that's not a sound strategy. 

Weird things can happen with relievers -- even those as good as Díaz -- but Roberts shouldn't have to do as much stressing about the game's final outs heading forward.

Loser: Night owls

Sometimes the Winter Meetings carry a frantic energy well into the night, disrupting sleep schedules along the way. That wasn't the case this year. Between the sparse nature and timing of the moves, there was no reason for any fan or reporter to miss sleep this week over baseball matters. 

Rather, the three biggest signings of the Meetings (Alonso, Schwarber, Edwin Díaz) all took place in the afternoon on the east coast. The only move that happened at night, let alone near midnight, saw left-hander Steven Matz sign with the Rays. A nice move, but nothing that's going to get the blood pumping.

Consider this week a loss for anyone who enjoys staying up late because of the hot stove.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 8:01 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

The Padres may be looking to create financial wiggle room by trading right-hander Nick Pivetta or infielder Jake Cronenworth. Don't expect them to move outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr., however. 

"He's somebody that ... we're not talking about (trading)," top baseball operations executive AJ Preller told The Athletic. "So, however you want to view that, if you want to say that's untouchable, you can say that."

The Padres are known to be shopping for starters and potentially some offensive help.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 6:15 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Although no deal is close, a bevy of teams have called to inquire on Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, per The Athletic. Here's more on that group:

The Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros are among the teams in on Peralta, according to people familiar with the Brewers' discussions.

Peralta, who is entering his walk year, is an enticing alternative to top free-agent options because of his modest salary ($8 million) and track record of above-average pitching.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 6:11 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

The Twins have shown interest in a variety of free-agent first basemen, per The Athletic. That group includes Josh Bell, Ryan O'Hearn, and Rhys Hoskins. It's unclear if the Twins are nearing a deal with any of the three at this point in the winter.

The Twins are rumored to have opted against continuing their rebuild this winter by moving more of their stars. Instead, Minnesota's front office seems focused on adding, not subtracting from the roster.  The Twins are also in the market for relief help.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 5:56 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

The Dodgers made one splash this week, signing closer Edwin Díaz on Tuesday. They still have more work ahead of them this winter, however, and that may involve the lineup.

Not only are the Dodgers still continuing to "kick the tires" on a potential Teoscar Hernández trade, but they've also inquired about Cardinals utility player Brendan Donovan, per The Athletic.

It's unclear if the Dodgers have much traction on either venture. 

[Dec 10, 2025 at 3:08 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

The Red Sox "remain hopeful" that they can re-sign third baseman Alex Bregman, according to the Boston Globe. Bregman, 31, signed a three-year deal with the Red Sox last offseason, but opted out of his deal after the first year. In 2025, he hit .273/.360/.462 (128 OPS+) with 28 doubles, 18 homers, 62 RBI, 64 runs and 3.5 WAR in 114 games. There are, obviously, plenty of other suitors for Bregman's services in free agency.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 3:05 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

The Mets "are showing interest" in righty reliever Tyler Rogers, per the New York Post. The Mets acquired Rogers last year in front of the trade deadline from the Giants. Rogers was great all year, pitching to a 1.80 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with the Giants and then 2.30 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 28 appearances for the Mets. The Mets have signed closer Devin Williams so far this offseason, but could use a few more high-leverage arms in that bullpen.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 1:53 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Even after signing Pete Alonso, the Orioles are still seeking high-end starting pitchers, per MLB.com. They've had talks with free-agent lefty Framber Valdez, who had some overlap with O's POBO Mike Elias when the two were in Houston. Baltimore has also reportedly been in talks with the Marlins about Edward Cabrera. Cabrera's low salary means the O's could conceivable add him and Valdez.

Grayson Rodriguez was traded to the Angels in the Taylor Ward deal. Right now, Baltimore's rotation is Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish, and then not much. Dean Kremer, Cade Povich, and Tyler Wells are depth starters and inventory arms more than someone a contending team starts in big games. There is little chance Alonso will be the end of the O's offseason. More is coming.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 12:57 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

The Orioles and free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso have agreed to a five-year, $155 million deal, CBS Sports has confirmed.

Pete Alonso signing with Orioles: Mets slugger bolts for Baltimore on five-year, $155 million contract

R.J. Anderson

Alonso, 31, hit .272/.347/.524 (144 OPS+) with 41 doubles, 38 home runs, 126 RBI, 87 runs and 3.4 WAR for the Mets last season. He's hit 264 home runs in seven MLB seasons, averaging 42 per 162 games in his career. He's the Mets' single-season home run record holder and career leader in home runs (Darryl Strawberry is second with 252). 

The Orioles were in desperate need of more power last season. They only slugged .394 as a team and the team leaders in home runs were Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg, all with 17.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 12:52 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

At last year's Winter Meetings, the Red Sox sent catcher Kyle Teel to the White Sox in the Garrett Crochet trade. Now they have interest in bringing him back, reports MassLive.com. Chicago has two good young catchers in Teel and Edgar Quero, and given where they are in their rebuild (early), trading one for help elsewhere on the roster should not be dismissed out of hand.

Teel, 23, had an impressive partial rookie season, posting a .273/.375/.411 line in 78 games after being called up in June. The stats on his catcher defense were not good, however. Rookie Carlos Narváez did good work for the Red Sox in 2025, though he faded badly in the second half. Still, Teel is a lefty hitter and Narváez is a righty. They would form a natural (and cheap) catcher platoon.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 11:49 am ET · Mike Axisa]

As part of their search for late-inning bullpen help, the Blue Jays have checked in on free-agent righty Luke Weaver, reports Sportsnet. Weaver was a revelation for the AL East rival Yankees after moving to the bullpen full-time in 2024, though he was never quite right after missing a month with a hamstring injury in 2025, and was very home-run prone.

Toronto has Jeff Hoffman and Louie Varland penciled into the late innings, and possibly Yimi García depending on his recovery from his year's elbow injury. They reportedly pursued Edwin Díaz and Devin Williams, and are said to be in the mix for Robert Suarez. Weaver is not that caliber of reliever, though he is quite good, and Toronto is leaving no stone unturned.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 11:29 am ET · Matt Snyder]

Among the many teams to have checked in on top free agent Kyle Tucker are the Mets, Yankees and Orioles, along with "most big-market teams," according to the New York Post. We've previously heard that the Blue Jays are hot on Tucker and they certainly count as a "big-market team." 

Tucker, 28, hit .266/.377/.464 (143 OPS+) with 22 homers, 73 RBI, 91 runs and 4.6 WAR in 136 games for the Cubs last year.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 10:52 am ET · Mike Axisa]

With the Rangers having little spending room this offseason, several contenders have checked in on Corey Seager, reports the Dallas Morning News. The Braves, Red Sox, and Yankees are among them. Texas saved about $6 million per year from 2026-28 with the Marcus Semien/Brandon Nimmo swap, and non-tendering Jonah Heim and Adolis García were money decisions as much as they were baseball decisions.

Seager, 31, remains an excellent performer when he's on the field, though a litany of injuries have limited him to 344 of 486 possible regular season games the last three seasons. He has six years remaining on his 10-year, $325 million contract, which is slightly frontloaded. Seager's annual salary is $31 million from 2026-31, below the $32.5 million average annual value of his contract, which matters for competitive balance tax conscious teams.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 10:03 am ET · Mike Axisa]

The Guardians are planning to keep left fielder Steven Kwan into next season, according to ESPN. Cleveland was said to be seriously exploring a Kwan trade at the deadline, with the Dodgers and Padres in the hottest pursuit, but they simply ran out of time to get a deal done. Kwan has two years of team control remaining and is projected to make close to $9 million in 2026.

If anything, the Guardians need to add outfield help this offseason, not subtract their best outfielder and second-best player. Including Kwan, Cleveland's outfield collectively hit .225/.288/.341 with 38 home runs in close to 2,000 plate appearances in 2025. I know the Guardians won the AL Central, but that is just not going to cut it. The outfield must be improved with or without Kwan.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 9:56 am ET · Mike Axisa]

The Astros are hoping to unload Christian Walker in an effort to clear their infield logjam, but there is minimal interest in the veteran first baseman, reports The Athletic. Walker, 35 in March, hit 27 home runs in 2025, though they came with a .297 on-base percentage and defense that was far below his usual Gold Glove standards. He's also owed $20 million in both 2026 and 2027.

Yordan Alvarez is expected to spend his time at DH moving forward, so the Astros must figure out how to fit third basemen Carlos Correa and Isaac Paredes into the lineup. Trading Walker and moving Paredes to first would be ideal. Absent that, Houston may have to put Paredes at second and put Jose Altuve in left field full-time. Trading Paredes is another possibility, albeit not one the Astros prefer to do.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 9:49 am ET · Mike Axisa]

Not surprisingly, teams are calling the Padres about their high-leverage relievers, though GM A.J. Preller told the San Diego Union-Tribune he is inclined to keep the bullpen together, and look for other ways to improve the team. Here's what Preller said:

"Anytime you have multiple people in one spot, you at least can listen to those types of conversations. But it's not easy to find impact players, so you don't take that for granted. And we have a lot of performers in our pen that have been impactful here the last couple years. It's probably been why we've been in the playoffs the last few years. There's a lot of reasons, but that's been a big one. … So we don't take that lightly. It's not like, 'Hey, we have a lot of really good pitchers, so we can afford to kind of take our level down in the bullpen.'"

Even with erstwhile closer Robert Suarez now a free agent, the Padres have a fierce late-inning relief crew, with righty Jeremiah Estrada and lefty Adrian Morejon setting up closer Mason Miller. Righty David Morgan is poised to assume high-leverage duty as well, and hard-throwing changeup specialist Bradgley Rodriguez is on the cusp of sticking in the show. It's an impressive group.

The Padres need a starting pitcher this offseason, maybe two, and they could use a power-hitting DH bat as well. Payroll is expected to hold steady in the same range as 2025. In that case, the club has about $10 million in spending room, per FanGraphs. It is no surprise then that Jake Cronenworth and his $12 million a year salary has popped up in trade rumors the last few days.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 9:43 am ET · Mike Axisa]

The Phillies have made an offer to J.T. Realmuto and are waiting to hear back, reports MLB.com. Realmuto is easily the best catcher in free agency. The next best after him are platoon types Victor Caratini and Danny Jansen. Add in his history with the organization and familiarity with the pitching staff, plus the team's deep pockets, and Realmuto returning to Philadelphia feels inevitable.

Kyle Schwarber is coming back and, assuming a deal gets done with Realmuto, the Phillies will then pivot to rearranging their outfield. Nick Castellanos is almost certainly a goner, more likely via release than trade, and Brandon Marsh could be moved. Top prospect Justin Crawford is expected to be given a chance to win a job in spring training. Even then, the Phillies need another outfielder.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 9:37 am ET · Mike Axisa]

After losing out on Kyle Schwarber, the Reds are mulling over pursuits of Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte and Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe, reports The Athletic. Marte is in high demand, though the Reds are deep in young starting pitching, which is what the D-backs are said to want in any trade. That could give them a leg up in trade talks.

Lowe, 31, slugged 31 home runs in 2025, and will make $11.5 million in 2026, the final year of his contract. As a Rays player making good money, Lowe is definitely available, and Tampa is said to be seeking pitching as well. Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbott are presumably off limits. In that case, the Reds could dangle Nick Lodolo and/or Rhett Lowder, and maybe even Chase Burns.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 9:27 am ET · Mike Axisa]

The market for free-agent closer Robert Suarez has picked up since Edwin Díaz signed with the Dodgers, reports MLB.com. The Blue Jays, Braves, and Mets are believed to be the teams most heavily involved. Suarez, 35 in March, is three years older than Díaz, so he won't get as significant a contract, though he certainly won't come cheap.

We ranked Suarez as the 21st-best free agent available this offseason and the fourth-best reliever behind Díaz, Devin Williams, and Luke Weaver. Suarez has a premium fastball in terms of velocity, extension, and ride up in the zone. He's also shown the ability to get 4-5 outs on occasion. Suarez opted out of the final two years and $16 million on his contract with the Padres to test free agency and should have no trouble beating that.

[Dec 10, 2025 at 9:15 am ET · Mike Axisa]

Even after signing Edwin Díaz, the Dodgers could pursue Kyle Tucker, though they're unlikely to offer him a long-term deal, per The Athletic. They're more likely to offer him a short-term 3-4 year contract with a high annual salary, similar to Alex Bregman's deal with the Red Sox last offseason. The Dodgers offered Bryce Harper a short-term, high-dollar deal back in the day.

L.A.'s two biggest needs this offseason are bullpen help and outfield help, particularly defensively. Díaz helps with the former. Tucker would help with the latter, and also improve a lineup that is getting a little long in the tooth. The Dodgers have also been connected to former Dodger Cody Bellinger throughout the offseason for the same reason. He'd improve their outfield on both sides of the ball.