The Atlanta Braves may not be having a banner offseason so far, but it is definitely going better than the Mets' has. Despite having seemingly endless resources at their disposal, New York already lost their star closer in Edwin Diaz to the Dodgers and the Braves managed to steal a couple coaches from the Mets' bench as well.
If that was all that happened to the Mets, it would still warm Braves' fans hearts to see them suffer even more after yet another disappointing season following too much hype. However, things did actually get worse as Pete Alonso is signing with the Orioles on a five year deal and that is just music to Braves Country's ears.
BREAKING: First baseman Pete Alonso and the Baltimore Orioles are finalizing a five-year, $155 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Alonso leaves the Mets to make a loaded AL East even better.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 10, 2025
Long time Braves nemesis Pete Alonso just spurned the Mets and is signing a record deal with the Orioles
Now, from Alonso's perspective, this is kind of a no-brainer. The Mets were obviously not comfortable giving him a long-term deal last offseason, so there was no much actual chance that they would change their minds this offseason. The only question was whether or not Alonso would capitulate and accept a shorter deal. Instead, Baltimore swooped in and gave Alonso the highest AAV ever given to a first baseman on a five year deal. Not too shabby.
The Orioles get the slugger they needed, although what they needed more was starting pitching, but they continue to keep their heads in the sand about that. As for the Mets, this is a significantly worse New York team than they ended the season with. Sure, that could change with just a couple big moves and Steve Cohen could press for that, but this is a nightmarish start to the Mets' offseason and it is just delightful.
Just like that, multiple of the Braves' biggest NL East tormentors have new teams. Diaz is a Dodger, Brandon Nimmo got shipped to Texas, and now Alonso is in Baltimore. Once Ranger Suarez (hopefully) signs somewhere other than in Philly, the only real things left to happen is for Trea Turner to get sent far away and for Bryce Harper. These are big dreams to be sure, but there is no time to hope for more than this timeline.