Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz opt out, A.J. Minter opts in, and the offseason now really begins

On the latest episode of The Mets Pod presented by Tri-State Cadillac, Connor Rogers and Joe DeMayo welcome the official beginning of the offseason, as the 2026 Mets begin to take shape. First up, the guys recap the World Series and look for lessons to learn from the Dodgers success, then discuss the free agencies of Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz, the return of A.J. Minter, as well as the prospect of Justin Willard as the team’s new pitching coach. Then, Connor and Joe do a deep dive into several free agent options for the Mets in the position player group. The show then goes Down on the Farm for a report on pitcher Jonathan Santucci, and answers Mailbag questions about the bullpen, the Dodgers being a threat to sign Diaz, trading for Vinnie Pasquantino, pursuing Alex Bregman and Josh Naylor, and which Mets player should enter the tournament to be John Cena’s final opponent in WWE. Be sure to subscribe to The Mets Pod at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Today's Show: 00:00 Welcome to the show! 01:05 A crazy good World Series, lessons learned 09:00 Justin Willard as new pitching coach 11:55 Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso officially opt out 15:30 A.J Minter opts in, the bullpen moving forward 18:40 Diving into the free agent market for position players (non-1B division) 34:05 Down on the Farm: Jonathan Santucci 36:20 Mailbag: Mets bullpen vs Dodgers/Blue Jays 37:40 Mailbag: Dodgers a threat to sign Diaz? 39:10 Mailbag: Vinnie Pasquantino as a trade option? 42:40 Mailbag: Alex Bregman + Josh Naylor or Pete Alonso? 44:50 Mailbag: Which Mets player should be John Cena’s final opponent? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.