The Mets are adding to their pitching depth, signing left-handed pitcher Trey McGough to a two-year minor league deal, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. 

McGough, 27, has a 3.21 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across six minor league seasons.

He has spent time in the Pirates, Orioles, and White Sox organizations.

McGough worked as primarily a starter in college at Mount St. Mary’s and during his first few minor league seasons, but was used mainly in relief in 2024 and 2025. 

Along with Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, the Mets’ bullpen in 2026 is expected to include left-handers A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley — though the start of Minter’s season could be a bit delayed following lat surgery this past May.

Huascar Brazoban also figures to be in the bullpen mix, as do hard-throwing prospects Dylan Ross and Ryan Lambert.

Other relievers who could compete for roles include Jonathan Pintaro (who made his big league debut last season), Adbert Alzolay (who is on a two-year minor league deal and missed the 2025 season), Richard Lovelady, Alex Carrillo, and Joey Gerber.

For the seventh straight year, the NBA asked me if I wanted to be one of the media members who votes on which players should start in the NBA All-Star Game. For reasons passing understanding, I said yes. Here’s how I used my ballot.

A quick reminder: Yes, the NBA has

Nikola Jokić, Nuggets

Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Luka Dončić, Lakers

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

All stats and records entering Thursday’s games.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

If you’re reading this, I’m guessing I don’t have to burn too many calories on convincing you that Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić — the top two finishers in Most Valuable Player voting in each of the last two seasons, and potentially this season’s top two, barring eligibility concerns — deserved a starting vote.

Gilgeous-Alexander has come back from winning his first MVP trophy and NBA championship seemingly better at everything. He’s second in the NBA in scoring, averaging 31.9 points per game on sparkling 55/39/89 shooting splits, producing points more efficiently and turning the ball over less as the preeminent mover on a Thunder team that opened the season 24-1 and that — despite what qualifies as a “slump” in OKC these days — remains atop the West, on pace for 68 wins (and with the point differential of a 70-win squad). With SGA on the floor, the Thunder have blown opponents’ doors off by 16.5 points per 100 possessions — the largest margin of any player in the NBA, according to Basketball Reference.

Hey, here’s something I just looked up: Only three guards in NBA history have averaged 30 points and five assists per game while shooting 50% from the floor. Stephen Curry did it during his unanimous MVP season in 2015-16. Michael Jordan did it five times. Gilgeous-Alexander, in Year 8, is on pace for his fourth … in a row.

Which is to say: This is a legitimately historic run, one that could wind up landing SGA in some awfully lofty conversations before all’s said and done. For now, though, it’ll land him on his fourth straight All-Star team.

Nikola Jokić, Nuggets

Before hyperextending his left knee, Jokić was off to the best start of his career. And when you’ve already won three MVPs, man, is that saying a whole hell of a lot.

Jokić is fifth in the NBA in scoring at 29.8 points per game while leading the league in rebounding and assists; he is 12 total points away from being on pace to join Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history to average a 30-point triple-double for a season. On a per-minute and per-possession basis, Jokić has never scored this much, thanks partly to him splashing 43.5% of the 4.8 3-pointers he’s attempting per game, both of which would be career highs.

He’s on pace to post the highest true shooting percentage in NBA history among players who use at least 25% of their teams’ offensive possessions, topping … himself. He is also on track to set new all-time records in win shares per 48 minutes, box plus-minus and player efficiency rating, and to become the seventh player ever to assist on more than half of his teammates’ baskets; the Nuggets have scored an absurd 130.1 points per 100 non-garbage-time possessions in his minutes, which is light years beyond what even the best offenses in league history have mustered. Missed games be damned: The list of players who’ve had a more consistently pronounced on-court impact than Jokić this season is either one name long or it doesn’t exist. An easy choice.

Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

So, too, was Wembanyama, the centerpiece of the Spurs’ rise to third place in the West and — by virtue of knocking off defending champion Oklahoma City three times in four tries and making it to the championship game of the NBA Cup — a spot among the ranks of bona fide title contenders.

Some voters might feel more compelled to knock Wemby out of a starting spot due to his injury absences: Thanks to an early-season calf strain, followed by a knee hyperextension that’s led to him being on a minutes restriction, he’s played just 26 games and 753 minutes — well below the other serious candidates for starting spots. I hear that. I also don’t really care about it.

I mean, come on: Dude’s averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds and three assists per game on 51.4% shooting at age 22 — no one’s done that since Kareem, 56 years ago — while also profiling as the most menacing defensive force on the planet.

There’s plenty of credit to go around for San Antonio’s surge up the standings: to Stephon Castle, making a massive second-year leap; to De’Aaron Fox, reminding everyone exactly why the Spurs went out, got him and paid him; to a roster full of guys (Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson, Luke Kornet, Julian Champagnie) playing like stars in their roles; to head coach Mitch Johnson, ably carrying the weight of carrying the mantle left for him by one of the greatest legends the coaching profession has ever seen; etc. All of it, though, starts with the man in the middle — and 750 minutes of what he’s been putting on tape was more than enough to earn my vote.

Luka Dončić, Lakers

Dončić, for his part, leads the NBA in scoring at 33.4 points per game on .606 true shooting to go with 8.8 assists (fourth-most in the league) and 7.9 rebounds a night — the lead guard at the controls of a Lakers team that is vying for a top-four spot in a tough-as-nails top of the West.

There are nits to pick with these Lakers, who sit 10 games over .500 despite being just plus-1 for the season — not one point per 100 possessions; one point period — and have outperformed their point differential and 23rd-ranked defense, thanks in large part to being an NBA-best 13-1 in “clutch” games. But L.A. is winning on the strength of its offense, which ranks seventh in points scored per possession and is at its best with Luka leading the dance: The Lakers have scored like the Thunder with him on the floor and like the Pelicans with him off it.

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

The fifth starting spot came down to a handful of strong candidates in the midst of excellent seasons. Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün have kept the Houston Rockets in the top five in offensive and defensive efficiency, and in the hunt for a top-four spot out West, despite the preseason loss of starting point guard Fred VanVleet. Ongoing salary-cap-circumvention investigations notwithstanding, Kawhi Leonard has been lights out for nearly two months — 30.1 points on 50/40/93 shooting with 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.1 stocks per game since Thanksgiving — to turn the previously lifeless Clippers into one of the NBA’s hottest teams. Out in the Bay, Curry is scoring as much on a per-minute and per-possession basis as he did during his unanimous MVP season a decade ago, and doing so with characteristically unbelievable shooting efficiency for a Warriors team that, as ever, only goes as far as he can carry it.

In the end, though, I landed on Edwards, in recognition of both his role in fueling Minnesota’s rise up the standings — just a game out of second in the West entering Thursday’s games, with the NBA’s best record and fourth-best net rating since Thanksgiving — and his scintillating individual production.

Edwards’ impressive run of increasing his scoring volume and efficiency in every year of his career has continued. He’s averaging a career-best 28.9 points per game on .626 true shooting — a combination of volume and efficiency that represents incredibly rare air among NBA scorers — while reducing his turnover rate despite more frequently serving as Chris Finch’s point guard, getting to the free-throw line more often, and continuing to play a key on-ball role in a Minnesota defense that’s tied for fifth in points allowed per possession.

He’s also been absolute nails in crunch time — an area of concern for Minnesota in recent years — shooting a scorching 70.7% from the floor (29-for-41), 57.1% from long range (8-for-14) and 83.3% from the foul line (10-for-12) when the score is within five points in the final five minutes:

The two-way play, the growth as a facilitator, the ongoing scaling-up of his scoring and efficiency and that close-and-late excellence — all in service of keeping the Wolves in the hunt in the West — earned Edwards the last spot on my ballot.

For the seventh straight year, the NBA asked me if I wanted to be one of the media members who votes on which players should start in the NBA All-Star Game. For reasons passing understanding, I said yes. Here’s how I used my ballot.

A quick reminder: Yes, the NBA has

Nikola Jokić, Nuggets

Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Luka Dončić, Lakers

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

All stats and records entering Thursday’s games.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

If you’re reading this, I’m guessing I don’t have to burn too many calories on convincing you that Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić — the top two finishers in Most Valuable Player voting in each of the last two seasons, and potentially this season’s top two, barring eligibility concerns — deserved a starting vote.

Gilgeous-Alexander has come back from winning his first MVP trophy and NBA championship seemingly better at everything. He’s second in the NBA in scoring, averaging 31.9 points per game on sparkling 55/39/89 shooting splits, producing points more efficiently and turning the ball over less as the preeminent mover on a Thunder team that opened the season 24-1 and that — despite what qualifies as a “slump” in OKC these days — remains atop the West, on pace for 68 wins (and with the point differential of a 70-win squad). With SGA on the floor, the Thunder have blown opponents’ doors off by 16.5 points per 100 possessions — the largest margin of any player in the NBA, according to Basketball Reference.

Hey, here’s something I just looked up: Only three guards in NBA history have averaged 30 points and five assists per game while shooting 50% from the floor. Stephen Curry did it during his unanimous MVP season in 2015-16. Michael Jordan did it five times. Gilgeous-Alexander, in Year 8, is on pace for his fourth … in a row.

Which is to say: This is a legitimately historic run, one that could wind up landing SGA in some awfully lofty conversations before all’s said and done. For now, though, it’ll land him on his fourth straight All-Star team.

Nikola Jokić, Nuggets

Before hyperextending his left knee, Jokić was off to the best start of his career. And when you’ve already won three MVPs, man, is that saying a whole hell of a lot.

Jokić is fifth in the NBA in scoring at 29.8 points per game while leading the league in rebounding and assists; he is 12 total points away from being on pace to join Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history to average a 30-point triple-double for a season. On a per-minute and per-possession basis, Jokić has never scored this much, thanks partly to him splashing 43.5% of the 4.8 3-pointers he’s attempting per game, both of which would be career highs.

He’s on pace to post the highest true shooting percentage in NBA history among players who use at least 25% of their teams’ offensive possessions, topping … himself. He is also on track to set new all-time records in win shares per 48 minutes, box plus-minus and player efficiency rating, and to become the seventh player ever to assist on more than half of his teammates’ baskets; the Nuggets have scored an absurd 130.1 points per 100 non-garbage-time possessions in his minutes, which is light years beyond what even the best offenses in league history have mustered. Missed games be damned: The list of players who’ve had a more consistently pronounced on-court impact than Jokić this season is either one name long or it doesn’t exist. An easy choice.

Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

So, too, was Wembanyama, the centerpiece of the Spurs’ rise to third place in the West and — by virtue of knocking off defending champion Oklahoma City three times in four tries and making it to the championship game of the NBA Cup — a spot among the ranks of bona fide title contenders.

Some voters might feel more compelled to knock Wemby out of a starting spot due to his injury absences: Thanks to an early-season calf strain, followed by a knee hyperextension that’s led to him being on a minutes restriction, he’s played just 26 games and 753 minutes — well below the other serious candidates for starting spots. I hear that. I also don’t really care about it.

I mean, come on: Dude’s averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds and three assists per game on 51.4% shooting at age 22 — no one’s done that since Kareem, 56 years ago — while also profiling as the most menacing defensive force on the planet.

There’s plenty of credit to go around for San Antonio’s surge up the standings: to Stephon Castle, making a massive second-year leap; to De’Aaron Fox, reminding everyone exactly why the Spurs went out, got him and paid him; to a roster full of guys (Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson, Luke Kornet, Julian Champagnie) playing like stars in their roles; to head coach Mitch Johnson, ably carrying the weight of carrying the mantle left for him by one of the greatest legends the coaching profession has ever seen; etc. All of it, though, starts with the man in the middle — and 750 minutes of what he’s been putting on tape was more than enough to earn my vote.

Luka Dončić, Lakers

Dončić, for his part, leads the NBA in scoring at 33.4 points per game on .606 true shooting to go with 8.8 assists (fourth-most in the league) and 7.9 rebounds a night — the lead guard at the controls of a Lakers team that is vying for a top-four spot in a tough-as-nails top of the West.

There are nits to pick with these Lakers, who sit 10 games over .500 despite being just plus-1 for the season — not one point per 100 possessions; one point period — and have outperformed their point differential and 23rd-ranked defense, thanks in large part to being an NBA-best 13-1 in “clutch” games. But L.A. is winning on the strength of its offense, which ranks seventh in points scored per possession and is at its best with Luka leading the dance: The Lakers have scored like the Thunder with him on the floor and like the Pelicans with him off it.

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

The fifth starting spot came down to a handful of strong candidates in the midst of excellent seasons. Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün have kept the Houston Rockets in the top five in offensive and defensive efficiency, and in the hunt for a top-four spot out West, despite the preseason loss of starting point guard Fred VanVleet. Ongoing salary-cap-circumvention investigations notwithstanding, Kawhi Leonard has been lights out for nearly two months — 30.1 points on 50/40/93 shooting with 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.1 stocks per game since Thanksgiving — to turn the previously lifeless Clippers into one of the NBA’s hottest teams. Out in the Bay, Curry is scoring as much on a per-minute and per-possession basis as he did during his unanimous MVP season a decade ago, and doing so with characteristically unbelievable shooting efficiency for a Warriors team that, as ever, only goes as far as he can carry it.

In the end, though, I landed on Edwards, in recognition of both his role in fueling Minnesota’s rise up the standings — just a game out of second in the West entering Thursday’s games, with the NBA’s best record and fourth-best net rating since Thanksgiving — and his scintillating individual production.

Edwards’ impressive run of increasing his scoring volume and efficiency in every year of his career has continued. He’s averaging a career-best 28.9 points per game on .626 true shooting — a combination of volume and efficiency that represents incredibly rare air among NBA scorers — while reducing his turnover rate despite more frequently serving as Chris Finch’s point guard, getting to the free-throw line more often, and continuing to play a key on-ball role in a Minnesota defense that’s tied for fifth in points allowed per possession.

He’s also been absolute nails in crunch time — an area of concern for Minnesota in recent years — shooting a scorching 70.7% from the floor (29-for-41), 57.1% from long range (8-for-14) and 83.3% from the foul line (10-for-12) when the score is within five points in the final five minutes:

The two-way play, the growth as a facilitator, the ongoing scaling-up of his scoring and efficiency and that close-and-late excellence — all in service of keeping the Wolves in the hunt in the West — earned Edwards the last spot on my ballot.

When star third baseman Alex Bregman agreed to a deal with the Cubs, he ended a weeks-long deadlock atop the free-agent hitter market. Since sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso agreed to deals with the Phillies and Orioles during the winter meetings in early December, the four remaining premier free-agent bats — Bregman, Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette and Cody Bellinger — had lingered on the open market into the new year, waiting for interested suitors to step forward with sufficient offers. The Cubs surprised many in the industry by being the first team to pounce, landing Bregman with a five-year, $175 million deal with heavy deferrals. That sparked an intriguing response from Bregman’s former team, the Red Sox, with their reported five-year, $130 million deal with left-hander Ranger Suárez. 

Bregman’s decision — and Boston’s pivot to more pitching — offered some clarity on the priorities of the big-market teams involved, in turn providing a narrower selection of potential landing spots for Tucker, Bichette and Bellinger. And with pitchers and catchers scheduled to arrive at their respective complexes in Arizona and Florida in four weeks, reports indicate that we are rapidly approaching a resolution for that trio of star hitters.

With that in mind, here’s the latest on each of their markets and the scenarios still in play for this high-stakes game of musical chairs.

Kyle Tucker

Unlike the ultra-hyped sweepstakes for Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto the past two winters — both of which wrapped up by mid-December — Tucker’s free agency as the top player available has plodded along without much buzz until very recently. The Blue Jays were the first team linked to Tucker when he reportedly visited their spring training complex in Dunedin, near Tucker’s hometown of Tampa, in early December. Evidently that was merely an initial step. But in the month-plus since, Toronto’s interest has sustained, and after the Jays signed third baseman Kazuma Okamoto earlier this month, it became clearer that Toronto was prioritizing pursuing Tucker over retaining homegrown star Bo Bichette.

As Toronto loomed, the baseball world wondered if and when any serious competition for Tucker would emerge. The deep-pocketed Mets and Dodgers were the obvious candidates for different reasons. The Dodgers’ outfield remains a rare weak spot on their star-studded roster, and the Mets haven’t meaningfully improved their roster after a ton of high-profile exits. Still, it was unclear the lengths either club was willing to go to land Tucker.

At first, reports highlighted a basic discrepancy: Toronto was willing to offer a long-term contract, while Los Angeles and New York preferred a shorter deal with a higher average annual value. But it was not until this week that we got a better idea of just how different these offers could be. While the specifics of the Dodgers’ offer remains unclear, several reports have indicated that the Mets have offered Tucker a short-team deal of at least three years with an annual salary averaging around $50 million, a staggering number that would rival Soto’s $51M AAV if completed. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Jeff Passan said Wednesday on Sportsnet that Toronto could be willing to offer Tucker a deal as long as 10 years at a far lower AAV with a much more substantial total amount. Given such a stark difference in the structure of the offers, what Tucker ultimately chooses will say a lot about his priorities.

Once he decides, a new round of intriguing questions will immediately surface. Just how high will the payroll climb for whichever team signs Tucker? Will there be additional moves to offload other salary? If he picks Toronto, will the Mets and/or Dodgers pivot to Bellinger? If he picks the Dodgers or Mets, will Toronto reengage with Bichette or stay focused on adding to the outfield and consider Bellinger? 

The order of operations also matters here. If Tucker isn’t the first of this trio to sign, the urgency for his suitors to do whatever it takes to sign him could increase. Which brings us to …

Cody Bellinger

At the outset of the offseason, there were three top-end free agents whose incumbent teams expressed strong intentions to retain them: Schwarber, Bregman and Bellinger. Bellinger is the only one who remains unsigned, but as the other two situations indicate, stated goals of keeping stars in-house don’t always come to fruition in the wild world of free agency.

In the case of Bellinger and the Yankees, it still feels more likely than not that he returns, but the negotiations seem to be at something of a standstill. The biggest sticking point appears to be the length of the deal, as Bellinger and his agent, Scott Boras, are reportedly seeking a seven-year contract, while the Yankees’ most recent offer was five years with an AAV in excess of $30 million, bringing the total north of $150 million guaranteed. That would be right in line with, if not even a bit higher than most industry projections — MLB Trade Rumors and FanGraphs’ Ben Clemens both projected five years, $140M for Bellinger; ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel had six years, $165M; The Athletic’s Tim Britton had seven years, $182M — but Boras and Bellinger evidently aren’t satisfied yet. 

It’s unclear what would motivate the Yankees to increase their offer if their competition for Bellinger remains murky at best. This is where Tucker’s decision could loom large if it comes first, as it’s possible Boras is waiting for a Tucker resolution to spark added interest in Bellinger from the teams that fall short with Tucker. That’s a reasonable course to take from a negotiation standpoint, but it’s also plausible that Bellinger is set on staying in the Bronx and the Yankees just need to stretch a bit further — perhaps compromise at six years — to seal the deal, regardless of what happens with Tucker.

Bo Bichette

And then there’s Bo. Bichette now occupies an interesting position atop the market post-Bregman, as the number of teams that both have the spending power to land a star free-agent such as Bichette and are in the market for an infielder is surprisingly small.

The Red Sox looked like natural candidates to pursue Bichette after Bregman bolted, but their agreement with Suárez indicated otherwise, and at this point, Boston appears more likely to add to its offense via trade than with a high-dollar hitter in free agency. And the Sox aren’t the only team that fits that description; other contending clubs such as the Mariners, Giants, Guardians and Royals seem more focused on exploring the trade market for upgrades in the infield, with Brendan Donovan and Nico Hoerner both bandied about as potentially on the move. The Yankees have reportedly checked in on Bichette, too, perhaps as a backup plan for Bellinger, but his fit in the Bronx would require some maneuvers that don’t seem likely at this stage. 

With the incumbent Blue Jays focused on adding an outfielder — infielders Ernie Clement and Andrés Giménez are both under contract for three more years, whereas there’s long-term uncertainty in the outfield, with Daulton Varsho and George Springer both slated to hit free agency after this season — a reunion with Bichette does not look especially likely, barring a drastic, late change of plans. As such, Bichette’s longstanding sentiments about wanting to stay a Blue Jay don’t seem to be reciprocated by Toronto enough to make that a reality.

Fortunately for Bichette, an attractive alternative to start a new chapter has emerged late in the process: the Philadelphia Phillies. At first glance, Philadelphia is fairly set in the infield, with superstar anchors Trea Turner and Bryce Harper flanked by Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott at third and second base, respectively. But Bohm is entering the final year of his contract, and the Phillies have been exploring trading him for quite some time. Stott, meanwhile, has blossomed into a steady presence at second for Philadelphia, but he also has experience at third, which could allow Philadelphia to sign Bichette to handle second — an expected transition off his natural shortstop — move Stott to third and trade Bohm. 

Add the recent hire of Don Mattingly, with whom Bichette grew close during Mattingly’s three-year stint as Toronto’s bench coach, and Philadelphia offers a level of familiarity and comfort that other suitors cannot. Bichette and the Phillies reportedly had a productive meeting earlier this week. So barring any late entrants to this pursuit — could the Dodgers emerge as suitors with a short-term, high-AAV offer, a la what they’re offering Tucker? — it might be just a matter of constructing an offer worthy of Bichette’s signature. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski usually succeeds in landing his top targets; we’ll see if Bichette becomes his latest superstar addition in a legendary front-office career chock-full of them.