The Mets are open to trading left-handed starting pitcher David Peterson, per Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic, should a deal similar to their Brandon Nimmo trade materialize.

Peterson is coming off a 2025 season that saw him reach a career high in innings pitched with 168.2 but struggled down the stretch, finishing the year with a 4.22 ERA after putting up a first half that saw him make the National League All-Star team for the first time.

Since making his major league debut during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Peterosn has a 4.12 ERA and a 3.92 FIP in 622.2 innings over the course of 131 appearances, 115 of which have been starts. After a particularly poor year in 2023, he had hip surgery that seemed to really unlock his potential in 2024. That season saw him throw 121.0 innings after returning from injury with a fantastic 2.90 ERA and a pretty solid 3.67 FIP.

Peterson has one year of team control remaining as he enters his age-30 season, and he’ll be eligible for free agency following the 2026 season. He’s projected to earn $7.6 million next season in his last year of arbitration.

It’s a good day to remember Bob Feller’s brilliance and his time in the U.S. Navy originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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A nickname can tell us plenty about a person. 

Bob Feller had three: The Heater from Van Meter, Bullet Bob and Rapid Robert.

Feller was known as a superstar pitcher for the Cleveland Indians with an unmatched fastball. But he was so much more than that.

And on this day, Dec. 9, his is a cool story to remember.

This is the date, in 1941, that Feller enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He had an exemption from service, but two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Feller signed up voluntarily.

He was a Chief Petty Officer on the USS Alabama during World War II.

While away, Feller missed four MLB seasons.

How good was he? Feller still led the league in strikeouts from 1939-46 despite missing four whole seasons:

Bob Feller enlisted in the United States Navy 84 years ago today, on Dec 9, 1941. He served voluntarily, despite an exemption from service, enlisting just two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

And even with missing nearly all of four seasons, he led all of MLB with 1,174…

— Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) December 9, 2025

MORE: A chicken sandwich at the Winter Meetings costs way more than you could imagine

Feller made his MLB debut at 17 years old.

In his first MLB start, a month after his debut, Feller struck out the side in the first inning and finished the game with 15 strikeouts. Three weeks later, he had a game with 17 strikeouts, which tied the single-game record at that time.

That was all before his senior year of high school back in Van Meter, Indiana.

Feller returned from the Navy and remained a superstar. He threw three no-hitters, won the 1948 World Series and was an eight-time All Star.

He finished his career 266-162 with a 3.25 ERA and 2,581 strikeouts.

When Feller was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962, it was on the first ballot with 93.8% of the vote.

An all-time great on and off the field.

More MLB news:

• Dodgers’ payroll is even more loaded with Edwin Diaz
• Why Edwin Diaz left the Mets for the Dodgers
• Pete Alonso’s free agency just came into the spotlight
• How Aroldis Chapman is able to pitch for Great Britain in the WBC
• What the Kyle Schwarber signing means for the Pittsburgh Pirates
• Poetic paragraph reveals Cody Bellinger’s free agent landing spots

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue refuted reports that he and 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul weren’t on speaking terms for several weeks leading up to Paul’s dismissal from the team on Dec. 3, and that Lue refused to meet with Paul.

“We were talking,” Lue said Tuesday.

“I mean, he played. How are he going to play if I’m not talking to him? There was a stretch when we said he wasn’t going to play, he was going to be out of the rotation. It was tough for him because he’s a competitor and what the game means to him and what he brings every single day. But after that, it wasn’t really much.”

Paul is 40 years old and in his 21st season in the NBA. The 2025-26 campaign is expected to be his final go-around in the league. He didn’t play because of a coach’s decision five times last month but was playing as recently as Dec. 1. In 16 games with the Clippers, he was averaging a career-low 2.9 points and 3.3 assists in 14.3 minutes per game.

The Clippers, who are now 6-18, sent him home while they were in Atlanta during a road trip at the beginning of December. Paul broke the news on Instagram. Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank then confirmed in a statement that Paul is no longer with the team, noting that Paul isn’t to blame for the team’s “underperformance” and that he is “a legendary Clipper.”

John W. McDonough via Getty Images

Hours later last Wednesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Paul’s leadership style, specifically a willingness to hold management, coaches and players accountable, “clashed” with the Clippers, and that Paul had not spoken to Lue “for several weeks.”

When Frank met with reporters later that day, he said that he had a three-hour meeting with Paul before his dismissal as well as that Paul “has a very good leadership style” but that some roster moves just don’t work, per Clippers reporter Justin Russo.

“This one just didn’t work at this time,” Frank said this past Wednesday, according to Russo. 

Lue said Tuesday that he wasn’t part of the final conversation as Paul was on his way out.

“I wasn’t there,” he said. 

A reporter asked why Paul’s situation was irreconcilable, referencing other times the Clippers have sent players home before bringing them back.

“You got to ask Lawrence,” Lue said.

Lue said he had no problem with Paul, whom he also coached earlier in his career while as an assistant for the “Lob City” Clippers from 2013-14, pointing out that “that’s my guy” while referring to him as a friend and referencing a 40-minute phone conversation he had with Paul. 

“You don’t want to see that happen to anybody no matter what the circumstances are.”

Clippers players, notably stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, were shocked by Paul’s dismissal. Lue acknowledged Tuesday that his team isn’t happy about it.

“It’s their teammate. It’s a guy they go to war with every single day, and he was part of us,” Lue said. “So it’s tough. The organization just made the decision to do it, but we got to move on. We got to try to win some games.”

Lue said he considers Paul a Hall of Famer and one of the top five or six point guards to ever play the game. He’s confident the Wake Forest product’s legacy will still live on in the league.

Paul has played for seven franchises and, even though an NBA championship has escaped his résumé, he’s collected a laundry list of accomplishments, including 11 All-NBA selections and nine NBA All-Defensive Team nods. Additionally, Paul has led the league in assists five times and steals six times.

He started his career with the New Orleans Hornets. They selected him No. 4 overall in the 2005 draft. He won NBA Rookie of the Year in 2006, jumpstarting his six-season run with the Hornets that went through the 2010-11 season.

Since, he’s suited up for the Los Angeles Clippers (2011-17), Houston Rockets (2017-19), Oklahoma City Thunder (2019-20), Phoenix Suns (2020-23), Golden State Warriors (2023-24), Spurs (2024-25) and now the Clippers again.

In an interview with People magazine released Tuesday, Paul said that he’s “at peace with everything.”

“I’m home. My daughter had tryouts yesterday. My nephew had a basketball game. My son has a game coming up on the 12th,” Paul said, via People.

He also noted: “More than anything, I’m excited about being around and getting a chance to play a small role in whatever anything looks like next.”

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue refuted reports that he and 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul weren’t on speaking terms for several weeks leading up to Paul’s dismissal from the team on Dec. 3, and that Lue refused to meet with Paul.

“We were talking,” Lue said Tuesday.

“I mean, he played. How are he going to play if I’m not talking to him? There was a stretch when we said he wasn’t going to play, he was going to be out of the rotation. It was tough for him because he’s a competitor and what the game means to him and what he brings every single day. But after that, it wasn’t really much.”

Paul is 40 years old and in his 21st season in the NBA. The 2025-26 campaign is expected to be his final go-around in the league. He didn’t play because of a coach’s decision five times last month but was playing as recently as Dec. 1. In 16 games with the Clippers, he was averaging a career-low 2.9 points and 3.3 assists in 14.3 minutes per game.

The Clippers, who are now 6-18, sent him home while they were in Atlanta during a road trip at the beginning of December. Paul broke the news on Instagram. Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank then confirmed in a statement that Paul is no longer with the team, noting that Paul isn’t to blame for the team’s “underperformance” and that he is “a legendary Clipper.”

John W. McDonough via Getty Images

Hours later last Wednesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Paul’s leadership style, specifically a willingness to hold management, coaches and players accountable, “clashed” with the Clippers, and that Paul had not spoken to Lue “for several weeks.”

When Frank met with reporters later that day, he said that he had a three-hour meeting with Paul before his dismissal as well as that Paul “has a very good leadership style” but that some roster moves just don’t work, per Clippers reporter Justin Russo.

“This one just didn’t work at this time,” Frank said this past Wednesday, according to Russo. 

Lue said Tuesday that he wasn’t part of the final conversation as Paul was on his way out.

“I wasn’t there,” he said. 

A reporter asked why Paul’s situation was irreconcilable, referencing other times the Clippers have sent players home before bringing them back.

“You got to ask Lawrence,” Lue said.

Lue said he had no problem with Paul, whom he also coached earlier in his career while as an assistant for the “Lob City” Clippers from 2013-14, pointing out that “that’s my guy” while referring to him as a friend and referencing a 40-minute phone conversation he had with Paul. 

“You don’t want to see that happen to anybody no matter what the circumstances are.”

Clippers players, notably stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, were shocked by Paul’s dismissal. Lue acknowledged Tuesday that his team isn’t happy about it.

“It’s their teammate. It’s a guy they go to war with every single day, and he was part of us,” Lue said. “So it’s tough. The organization just made the decision to do it, but we got to move on. We got to try to win some games.”

Lue said he considers Paul a Hall of Famer and one of the top five or six point guards to ever play the game. He’s confident the Wake Forest product’s legacy will still live on in the league.

Paul has played for seven franchises and, even though an NBA championship has escaped his résumé, he’s collected a laundry list of accomplishments, including 11 All-NBA selections and nine NBA All-Defensive Team nods. Additionally, Paul has led the league in assists five times and steals six times.

He started his career with the New Orleans Hornets. They selected him No. 4 overall in the 2005 draft. He won NBA Rookie of the Year in 2006, jumpstarting his six-season run with the Hornets that went through the 2010-11 season.

Since, he’s suited up for the Los Angeles Clippers (2011-17), Houston Rockets (2017-19), Oklahoma City Thunder (2019-20), Phoenix Suns (2020-23), Golden State Warriors (2023-24), Spurs (2024-25) and now the Clippers again.

In an interview with People magazine released Tuesday, Paul said that he’s “at peace with everything.”

“I’m home. My daughter had tryouts yesterday. My nephew had a basketball game. My son has a game coming up on the 12th,” Paul said, via People.

He also noted: “More than anything, I’m excited about being around and getting a chance to play a small role in whatever anything looks like next.”

David Stearns had plenty to say on the second day of the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando, and while he couldn’t comment on Edwin Diaz‘s reported signing with the Dodgers, the Mets president of baseball operations did offer a message to fans, his optimism for the 2026 season, an outlook on the outfield market, and other insights on the offseason.

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Message to Mets fans

“As we look at our organization, we are very optimistic and confident about where we are headed,” Stearns said during a conversation on Tuesday’s episode of SNY’s Mets Hot Stove. “We have tremendous ownership support, we’ve got really good top-end talent at the major league level, and we’ve got one of the best farm systems in all of baseball. 

“And when you add all of that up, we are headed in an outstanding direction.”

But Stearns, the boyhood Mets fans, understands the fans’ displeasure, something he shares.

“I certainly understand that our fanbase is frustrated with how our season ended last year; we’re frustrated with how our season ended last year,” he said. “We didn’t meet our expectations, and we gotta do better than that.”

With the offseason bringing changes, Stearns admitted he also understands fans’ attachment to some long-tenured players who will be moving on to other clubs either through trades or free agency. 

“I also understand that our fans naturally have an attachment, as we do as well have an attachment, to players who have been here and have performed here for a long time. And we do take that into account, and it is part of the decisions that we have made,” he said. “We also have to be very cognizant of making the decisions that are going to allow us to compete now and also fit in with the future years when we want to consistently be a World Series-caliber team and World Series-caliber organization.

“And sometimes that leads to really tough, uncomfortable decisions. And we’ve had to make a couple of those over the course of this offseason.”

‘Always urgency’

On the second day of the meetings, is the Mets’ top baseball decision-maker facing a greater sense of urgency?

“I think there’s always urgency,” Stearns said. “I think we’re always trying to improve the team to the best of our ability, trying to make the decisions that are best for the organization. So I think we always feel a sense of urgency.”

On the Mets’ resources

With Steve Cohen showing he is more than willing to outlay money for players, Stearns was asked if that commitment from ownership makes it tough to stay disciplined when negotiating. 

“Our resources that we have here are an enormous advantage. As long as we allocate those resources intelligently, they’re going to continue to be an enormous advantage,” Stearns said. “Steve gives us everything we need to have not only a great roster, but a competitive organization in every single respect. I think our players and coaches recognize that. 

“I have no doubt that we’re going to continue to have the resources we need to compete at a very high level.”

He added later: “I think we’re always weighing how certain transactions fit into the larger puzzle of the resources we have. We have a lot of resources; no team has unending resources, and I’ve said that before. 

“We’ve got all the resources we need, all of the payroll space we need to put a really good team on the field. That doesn’t mean it’s infinite, nor should it be. And so, every decision point – whether it’s a trade, whether it’s free agency – has constraints on it and we do our best to work with them in the context of what is a very heavily resourced and well-supported team.”

On roster continuity

With two long tenured Mets departing already this offseason – Brandon Nimmo in a trade and the Diaz’s reported signing – Stearns was asked if he views it as a challenge to balance the need to improve with a desire to keep the continuity going.

“That is something, broadly, that we talk about a lot,” Stearns said. “We have a lot of those conversations; we’ve had them throughout this offseason, we had them throughout last offseason, as well, when we were faced with some decisions. And it is part of it.

“I’ve said this before, I can’t tell you I know exactly how to weigh that. I think we do our best to weigh the full impact of any player on our team, on our organization. And we make the best decision we can.”

On coaching turnover

The biggest spot of turnover so far this offseason came with Carlos Mendoza’s coaching staff. And Stearns was asked if he believed the departures could make the Mets a less desirable place for free agents to come to after a report indicated that Diaz was displeased with the departure of pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.

“From the feedback I have heard from players, is they are very excited to work with our coaching staff this year,” Stearns said. “We’ve brought in a number of very highly respected, well-thought-of coaches throughout the league. I think we’re gonna have a group that’s very excited to work with our coaching staff.”

On ‘robust’ outfield market

After the Nimmo trade, the Mets have a spot open in left field without an obvious choice, but several internal candidates, including Jeff McNeil and possibly prospect Carson Benge. With that being said, Stearns does see the outfield market as a robust one.

“Between what’s available in free agency and some of the names that are being talked about in the trade market, there’s a pretty robust group out there, there’s a pretty robust market,” he said. “And we’re gonna continue to explore that. And I also think we’ve got some really good internal candidates, as well.”

On what’s down on the farm

Speaking of prospects down on the farm like Benge, Stearns said that “one of the exciting parts of our system” is that it isn’t top-heavy.

“It’s not just that top echelon of player, the guy that’s on the cover of a magazine and talked about,” he said. “We like those guys, as well, but then we look at Jett Williams, who’s also a Top 100 prospect, [Ryan] Clifford, who’s gonna be in Triple-A next year [and] a step away, A.J. Ewing, who has emerged as one of the top, dynamic prospects in all of baseball. 

“Not even to get into the arms that we have, that we’re very excited about, who we began to see impact our major league team last year, and we think will continue to impact our major league team. We’ve got as deep a system as exists in baseball. We think we’ve got tremendous upside at the top of that system, and we’re gonna begin to see those players really impact our major league team this year.”

The Mets now know where they stand in next year’s draft.

MLB had its annual draft lottery on Tuesday night and the Mets will pick No. 27 in the 2026 MLB Draft.

Despite their record, the Mets are picking that low because they exceeded the second CBT threshold, which docked the organization 10 spots. However, it may not affect much for the Mets, who have had some fast-rising prospects in recent years.

This past draft, the Mets selected second baseman Mitch Voit out of the University of Michigan with the No. 38 overall pick. Voit played 22 games in Low-A this past summer, where the 21-year-old slashed .235/.343/.294 with an OPS of .637 and one home run. 

The year prior, Carson Benge was selected with the No. 19 overall pick. The outfielder took a big step in the minors this season and could feasibly make the Opening Day roster in 2026. And then two years back, the Mets selected catcher Kevin Parada with the No. 11 pick and shortstop Jett Williams with the No. 14 pick. 

While Parada has not developed as fast as other prospects, he just put together his best minor league season, hitting 11 homers and driving in 57 runs while ending the year in Triple-A. As for Williams, he’s thought of by many as one of the Mets’ top prospects, including our own Joe DeMayo, who has the shortstop as the No. 3 prospect in New York’s system. 

Williams hit 17 home runs and slashed .261/.363/.465 with an OPS of .828 between Double-A and Triple-A. 

The 2026 MLB Draft is set for July 11-12 in Philadelphia.

Nic Antaya via Getty Images

The Chicago White Sox struggled in 2025, but help is on the way. After going 60-102 last year, Chicago won the MLB Draft lottery on Tuesday, earning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. 

The White Sox entered the event with a 27.73% chance to earn the top pick in next year’s draft, the best odds of any team. Now 2026 will be the first time the White Sox pick first overall since the team drafted Hall of Famer Harold Baines in 1977.

Baines happened to be Chicago’s representative for this year’s lottery. It might also be worth noting that this was the first lottery since a White Sox fan became pope.

Whom will Chicago choose with the pick? UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky is currently the consensus top talent in 2026, but you really never know how the 2026 season will go or what deals might be cut in the MLB Draft.

After the White Sox, the Minnesota Twins (22.18%), Pittsburgh Pirates (16.81%), Baltimore Orioles (9.24%) and Athletics (6.55%) were the only other teams with better than 5% odds to win the draft lottery. 

Those odds are, generally, determined based on a team’s record the previous season. The White Sox had a bad record in 2025 but not the worst record in baseball. That “honor” went to the Colorado Rockies, who finished 43-119. But the Rockies were not eligible for a lottery pick this season, as a rule prevents a team from picking in the lottery for more than two consecutive years. 

The Rockies picked fourth in the 2025 draft and third in 2024, rendering them ineligible to be a lottery team in 2026. Because of that, the earliest the Rockies could pick in the 2026 MLB Draft was 10th. 

The Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels were also ineligible for the lottery because, as teams that pay revenue-sharing dollars rather than receive, they cannot have a lottery pick in consecutive years. The Nationals picked first in 2025, selecting high school shortstop Eli Willits, while the Angels picked second, taking UC Santa Barbara pitcher Tyler Bremner. Like the Rockies, the earliest those two teams could pick was 10th.

2026 MLB Draft order

1. Chicago White Sox
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Minnesota Twins
4. San Francisco Giants
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Kansas City Royals
7. Baltimore Orioles
8. Athletics
9. Atlanta Braves
10. Colorado Rockies
11. Washington Nationals
12. Los Angeles Angels
13. St. Louis Cardinals
14. Miami Marlins
15. Arizona Diamondbacks
16. Texas Rangers
17. Houston Astros
18. Cincinnati Reds
19. Cleveland Guardians
20. Boston Red Sox
21. San Diego Padres
22. Detroit Tigers
23. Chicago Cubs
24. Seattle Mariners
25. Milwaukee Brewers
26. Atlanta Braves
27. New York Mets

The Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees all moved out of the first round after exceeding the second competitive-balance-tax threshold, which pushes their first pick back 10 spots. 

The Braves earned a second first-round pick due to catcher Drake Baldwin winning Rookie of the Year in 2025.

Nic Antaya via Getty Images

The Chicago White Sox struggled in 2025, but help is on the way. After going 60-102 last year, Chicago won the MLB Draft lottery on Tuesday, earning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. 

The White Sox entered the event with a 27.73% chance to earn the top pick in next year’s draft, the best odds of any team. Now 2026 will be the first time the White Sox pick first overall since the team drafted Hall of Famer Harold Baines in 1977.

Baines happened to be Chicago’s representative for this year’s lottery. It might also be worth noting that this was the first lottery since a White Sox fan became pope.

Whom will Chicago choose with the pick? UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky is currently the consensus top talent in 2026, but you really never know how the 2026 season will go or what deals might be cut in the MLB Draft.

After the White Sox, the Minnesota Twins (22.18%), Pittsburgh Pirates (16.81%), Baltimore Orioles (9.24%) and Athletics (6.55%) were the only other teams with better than 5% odds to win the draft lottery. 

Those odds are, generally, determined based on a team’s record the previous season. The White Sox had a bad record in 2025 but not the worst record in baseball. That “honor” went to the Colorado Rockies, who finished 43-119. But the Rockies were not eligible for a lottery pick this season, as a rule prevents a team from picking in the lottery for more than two consecutive years. 

The Rockies picked fourth in the 2025 draft and third in 2024, rendering them ineligible to be a lottery team in 2026. Because of that, the earliest the Rockies could pick in the 2026 MLB Draft was 10th. 

The Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels were also ineligible for the lottery because, as teams that pay revenue-sharing dollars rather than receive, they cannot have a lottery pick in consecutive years. The Nationals picked first in 2025, selecting high school shortstop Eli Willits, while the Angels picked second, taking UC Santa Barbara pitcher Tyler Bremner. Like the Rockies, the earliest those two teams could pick was 10th.

2026 MLB Draft order

1. Chicago White Sox
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Minnesota Twins
4. San Francisco Giants
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Kansas City Royals
7. Baltimore Orioles
8. Athletics
9. Atlanta Braves
10. Colorado Rockies
11. Washington Nationals
12. Los Angeles Angels
13. St. Louis Cardinals
14. Miami Marlins
15. Arizona Diamondbacks
16. Texas Rangers
17. Houston Astros
18. Cincinnati Reds
19. Cleveland Guardians
20. Boston Red Sox
21. San Diego Padres
22. Detroit Tigers
23. Chicago Cubs
24. Seattle Mariners
25. Milwaukee Brewers
26. Atlanta Braves
27. New York Mets

The Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees all moved out of the first round after exceeding the second competitive-balance-tax threshold, which pushes their first pick back 10 spots. 

The Braves earned a second first-round pick due to catcher Drake Baldwin winning Rookie of the Year in 2025.