Mets front office taking heat with fan favorites Alonso, Díaz and Nimmo headed out of town

NEW YORK (AP) — Brandon Nimmo went first. Then it was Edwin Díaz and Pete Alonso on back-to-back days at baseball's winter meetings.

Three fan favorites headed out the door in 2 1/2 weeks — a powerful gut punch to angry New York Mets fans wondering what on earth the front office is thinking.

As the club embarks on a major makeover, suffice to say owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns are not the most popular couple in Queens right now.

“I’m very optimistic about where our offseason is headed,” Stearns said Tuesday in Florida, before news of Alonso's agreement with Baltimore. “We certainly have work to do, but there are many good players out there. I’m confident we’ll like where our team is once we get to opening day.”

What a difference a year makes, though.

Cohen and Stearns were the toast of the town last December, beating out the crosstown New York Yankees for prized free agent Juan Soto with a record $765 million contract.

That came on the heels of an unanticipated thrill ride to the 2024 National League Championship Series, after Stearns scored big with several unheralded acquisitions during his first year in charge: Sean Manaea, Luis Severino, Jose Iglesias and Tyrone Taylor.

Surely with Cohen's bankroll and Stearns' brain, the Mets were poised to take a large bite out of the Big Apple for years to come.

Yankees, be damned. Dodgers, on notice. Phillies, fuhgeddaboudit!

But as most of their top rivals continued to flourish this year, the Mets finished 83-79 and missed the playoffs. Baseball's second-biggest spenders, at $429 million in payroll and projected luxury tax, went 38-55 in a stunning collapse after building the best record in the majors (45-24) through June 12.

The day after the season ended, Stearns took the blame for failing at the trade deadline and Cohen apologized to fans on social media. The coaching staff under manager Carlos Mendoza was soon overhauled.

Many figured Cohen, one of the wealthiest owners in sports, would quickly reach into his robust wallet this winter — at least to keep Díaz and Alonso from leaving in free agency. But that hasn't really happened.

“Steve gives us everything we need,” Stearns said this week. “We have a lot of resources. No team has unending resources.”

After the Mets signed two-time All-Star reliever Devin Williams to a $51 million, three-year contract, Díaz agreed to a $69 million, three-year deal with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, subject to a successful physical.

Media reports indicated New York was outbid by only about $3 million for Díaz, who arrived in 2019 and ranks third in franchise history with 144 saves.

Then on Wednesday, news broke that Alonso agreed to a $155 million, five-year contract with the Orioles, a deal finalized on Thursday.

A person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press the Mets expressed interest in again retaining the slugging first baseman, which they did last offseason, but decided to wait and see what happened between Alonso and other teams rather than press a pursuit themselves. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because those details were not announced.

“I’m flabbergasted,” Mets broadcast analyst and former pitcher Ron Darling said on MLB Network.

"Maybe they get in the Kyle Tucker race now, for a legit bat in the outfield. But it’s just, these last two days have to really be hard on Mets fans.”

All this after Nimmo, the ebullient outfielder who was the longest-tenured player on the team, waived the no-trade provision in his contract last month and accepted a deal to Texas for Gold Glove second baseman Marcus Semien.

“That’s three unbelievably great players, beloved by the fan base, have proven that they can pitch or play in New York. That’s not an easy thing, right?" Darling said. "And now, all gone.”

Alonso and Nimmo combined for 63 homers and 218 RBIs last season.

“They’ve now paid Soto ($765) million to walk 150 times next year,” Darling said.

Stearns grew up in Manhattan rooting for the Mets, and Cohen was a fervent fan even before buying the club five years ago. But they've shown little sentimentality when it comes to valuing core players, and Stearns said after trading Nimmo that "running back the exact same group wasn’t the right thing to do.”

Reports of clubhouse tension emerged in recent weeks, though Mendoza challenged that notion.

Alonso holds the franchise record with 264 home runs. He and Nimmo join a notable list of homegrown Mets stalwarts who eventually went elsewhere — from Tug McGraw, Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack to Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, José Reyes and Jacob deGrom.

David Wright remains one of the few star position players to spend his entire career in blue and orange.

The pressure on Stearns, a small-market success in Milwaukee, now increases exponentially to plug several big holes and rebuild a contender. Third baseman Mark Vientos could shift to first as Alonso's replacement, but New York's particular plans are unclear. And the more quality players who leave, the harder it becomes to convince free agents the Mets are currently equipped to win.

These things are certain:

Defense and baserunning are priorities for Stearns.

He seems very reluctant to give players in their 30s contracts longer than three years.

And he believes in putting youth on the field, seeking roster flexibility and space at positions that will provide playing opportunities for the promising hitters in a highly rated farm system such as Carson Benge, Jett Williams and Ryan Clifford.

“Our resources that we have here are an enormous advantage," Stearns said. “And as long as we allocate those resources intelligently, they’re going to continue to be an enormous advantage.”

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum and AP freelance writer Kristie Ackert contributed to this report.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

FILE - New York Mets' Pete Alonso, left, stands with Francisco Lindor after flying out with the bases loaded during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

FILE - New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (39) reacts at the end of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Saturday, April 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

FILE - New York Mets owner Steve Cohen waits for the team's baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Aug. 31, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)

FILE - New York Mets' Pete Alonso reacts during a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash, File)

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) — Tens of thousands of Washington residents were under evacuation orders Thursday after a barrage of torrential rain that has overflowed rivers, sent mud sliding onto highways and trapped people in floodwaters.

“The flooding levels we’re looking at are potentially historic in nature, so we just want to emphasize how serious the situation is,” Gov. Bob Ferguson said at a news briefing Thursday, one day after declaring a statewide emergency. “This situation is extremely unpredictable.”

Skagit County, in a major agricultural region north of Seattle, has ordered everyone within the Skagit River’s floodplain to evacuate. Some 78,000 people live in the floodplain, according to the county’s emergency management chief Julie de Losada.

The high water mark upstream at the town of Concrete was below estimates but authorities warned people that record levels elsewhere were still possible.

“That doesn't mean to say that we're out of the woods, we're not,” said Robert Ezelle, director of the Washington Military Department’s emergency management division. “Because as the waters come down here, they're still going to be gaining strength.”

Along the river in Mount Vernon, teams knocked on doors in low-lying areas Thursday to inform them of evacuation notices, city authorities said. Further north near the U.S.-Canada border, firefighters rescued several people from their homes in Sumas, the mayor said.

Nearly 16,000 customers in Washington were without electricity by midday Thursday, according to PowerOutage.us. A mountainous section of U.S. 2 was closed due to rocks, trees and mud, with no detour or estimated time for reopening, according to the state transportation department.

The Skagit River hit about a foot (30 centimeters) shy of the previous record in the mountain town of Concrete Thursday morning, according to the National Water Prediction Service. The river is expected to crest below the record in Mount Vernon on Friday.

“That's still a record flood, and so we're preparing for that,” Mayor Peter Donovan said Thursday.

Flooding from the river has long plagued Mount Vernon, the largest city in the county with some 35,000 residents. Flooding in 2003 displaced hundreds of people.

The city completed a floodwall in 2018 that helps protect the downtown. It passed a major test in 2021, when the river crested near record levels. Water was at the foot of the floodwall as of late Thursday morning, Donovan said.

In nearby Burlington, evacuation orders were kept in place Thursday as officials hoped dikes and other systems kept protecting the community from catastrophic flooding, said Michael Lumpkin, with the police department.

Some are worried that older levees could fail.

To prepare, business owners have stacked sandbags in their shops and residents have similarly done so to protect their homes.

South of Mount Vernon, access to the Fir Island wildlife reserve and farming area will be closed Thursday, authorities said.

Authorities across Washington state in recent days have rescued people from cars and homes after an atmospheric river soaked the region.

East of Seattle, residents along Issaquah Creek used water pumps as rushing floodwaters filled yards Thursday morning. Yellow tape blocked off a hazardous area along the creek.

Issaquah resident Katy Bliss said her home’s foundation was safe for now but that a pond had formed in her backyard. “It’s still scary walking around,” she said.

The border crossing was also closed to southbound commercial vehicles to leave more room for evacuations, according to the Abbotsford Police Department.

Amtrak suspended trains between Seattle and Vancouver.

A landslide blocked part of Interstate 90 east of Seattle, with photos showing vehicles trapped by tree trunks, branches, mud and standing water.

Climate change has been linked to some intense rainfall. Scientists say that without specific study they cannot directly link a single weather event to climate change, but in general it’s responsible for more intense and more frequent extreme storms, droughts, floods and wildfires.

Another storm system is expected to bring more rain starting Sunday.

“The pattern looks pretty unsettled going up to the holidays," said Harrison Rademacher, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle.

Rush reported from Portland, Oregon. Associated Press writers Gene Johnson and Hallie Golden in Seattle; Martha Bellisle in Issaquah, Washington; Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland; and Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; contributed to this report.

An aerial view shows homes surrounded by floodwaters from the Skagit River near Lyman, Wash., Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

People stand on a bridge over the Skagit River in Lyman, Wash., Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Volunteers load sandbags into a vehicle to prepare for major flooding expected along the Skagit River Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Mount Vernon, Wash. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)

A sign is placed on the window of a vehicle after waters from a rising and muddy Issaquah Creek flood the parking lot under an evacuated apartment building near downtown Issaquah, Washington on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Martha Bellisle)

Waters from a rising and muddy Issaquah Creek flood the parking lot under an evacuated apartment building near downtown Issaquah, Washington on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025.(AP Photo/Martha Bellisle)

A flag ripples in the wind as snow falls in Lowville, New York, on Tuesday night, Dec. 9, 2025. The area faces a winter storm warning through Thursday. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)

Rescue workers with Chehalis Fire venture into a flooded neighborhood to pick up evacuees after heavy rains, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Chehalis, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A man checks on a car caught in flooding after heavy rains Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Napavine, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)