Two of Nationals' Division Rivals Make Major Decisions During Winter Meetings
In this story:
The Washington Nationals entered the Winter Meetings as a team to keep an eye on.
Following their decision to trade Jose A. Ferrer to the Seattle Mariners and get back a package of star catching prospect Harry Ford and Single-A pitcher Isaac Lyon, many felt it was only a matter of time before their ace MacKenzie Gore was shipped out of town.
However, when the high-profile event finally arrived, there was some skepticism that something of that magnitude would actually get done. Some longtime executives felt like new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni would use this time to field offers for Gore and even CJ Abrams, so a deal might not come until later in the offseason.
But that doesn't mean things haven't gotten completed at the Winter Meetings thus far. And on Tuesday, two of the Nationals' division rivals were in the headlines for decisions they made when it came to some of their high-profile players.
Phillies Re-Sign Kyle Schwarber to Five-Year, $150 Million Deal
One of the biggest free agents of this cycle was someone Washington was familiar with, as star slugger Kyle Schwarber hit the open market where he was expected to command tons of attention around the league.
The Philadelphia Phillies were always seen as the favorite to keep him within their organization, though. And despite the efforts from his hometown Cincinnati Reds to woo him away and others across Major League Baseball who might have been interested in offering him more money to leave his current team, the feeling the Phillies were going to retain him came to fruition.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported that Philadelphia and Schwarber agreed to a five-year, $150 million contract that will likely keep him in the City of Brotherly Love until he retires.
BREAKING: Slugger Kyle Schwarber and the Philadelphia Phillies are finalizing a five-year, $150 million contract, sources tell ESPN. The NL MVP runner-up, one of the best home run hitters and clubhouse leaders in baseball, is returning to Philadelphia.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 9, 2025
There was some hope out there that the Nationals could get involved in the Schwarber sweepstakes. While that always felt like a pipedream, there is a clear leadership void in the clubhouse, so adding someone like the veteran slugger would have been a great way to infuse that into the organization.
Instead, he'll be back with Washington's division rival for the foreseeable future, which gives Philadelphia a good chance of remaining in the contender tier for as long as he's with the team.
Mets Opt to Not Re-Sign Edwin Diaz
The other notable news that featured another one of the Nationals' NL East rivals was the fact that the New York Mets decided to not re-sign their star closer Edwin Diaz.
Some writing was on the wall that this could occur after the Mets handed former two-time Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year winner Devin Williams a three-year, $51 million contract earlier in the offseason cycle. However, there were talks about working to keep Diaz around with Williams in the setup role.
That is no longer the case, though. Will Sammon of The Athletic was the first to report that Diaz and the back-to-back World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers were in agreement on a deal. That was later followed up by Passan revealing the terms of the contract, which are for three years and $69 million.
Closer Edwin Díaz's deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers is for three years and $69 million, sources tell ESPN. The Dodgers, who were targeting bullpen help this winter, got the best closer on the market, setting a new AAV record for relievers.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 9, 2025
This decision is going to be looked upon in a strange way by many in the Mets fanbase. While there's no doubt Diaz can be a rollercoaster experience when he's closing out games based on the number of walks he issues, he's also one of the best in the business when it comes to getting saves.
Now, New York will have to see their star closer do that on the West Coast for the reigning champions, which has to be a hard pill to swallow after the Mets came up short against the Dodgers in the 2024 National League Championship Series.
