Yankees watch Mets get burned again with Pete Alonso, but this time it hurts NYY

If there's anyone having a worse offseason right now than the New York Yankees, it is the New York Mets. They traded away fan favorite Brandon Nimmo for a significantly worse bat and a higher salary in the short term, in the name of upgrading their defense at second base with Marcus Semien.

Then, they stunningly overpaid Devin Williams, which would have been an acceptable gamble if he were penciled in as the setup man. Instead, they got spurned by Edwin Diaz, who had expressed his displeasure with the organization as he headed west to join the Los Angeles Dodgers.

At least the Yankees have just been complacent instead of actively trying to get worse. Though the latest cut against the Mets also wounds the Yankees, as Pete Alonso is in agreement with the Baltimore Orioles for a five-year, $155 million deal.

Pete Alonso leaving the Mets to join the Yankees hurts both New York franchises in different ways

While Queens is burning, the Yankees sit on their perch in the Bronx watching all of their rivals improve. Toronto has been going full bore, with Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce added to their rotation. The Red Sox's moves have certainly been more questionable, but hey, they're trying.

The real threat so far has been the Orioles, however. Baltimore's biggest bugaboo was a lack of starting pitching, and to date they still haven't solved that. But they are rolling the dice on a two-time All-Star and former Hoffman award winner in Ryan Helsley to take care of their second greatest hole, the ninth inning.

What was an underrated need for Baltimore was power. The Birds slugged a paltry .394 last season, good for 19th in the league. They kicked off the winter by adding a 36-homer bat in Taylor Ward, followed that up by matching the Phillies' offer to Kyle Schwarber, and quickly pivoted to nab Alonso and his 38 long balls and add the Polar Bear to their lineup.

That's an influx of 74 homers in 2025 coming into their lineup that is also full of potential, led by young superstar Gunnar Henderson, and supported by a plethora of top prospects chomping at the bit to convert potential into performance.

They still have needs, so it's premature to say that they have surpassed the Yankees, Red Sox, or Blue Jays in the division pecking order, but with this signing, they've announced their attention to do so.

All of this begs the question, what is Cashman waiting for? He can claim that a strict budget doesn't exist, but the longer he sits on the sidelines while his rivals get better, the more hollow his words ring. If the Yankees don't get active soon, they could find themselves as the odd man out in the league's most competitive division.