Mets Add Young Shortstop After Shocking Yankees Decision

After their season ended in a brutally disappointing playoff miss, the New York Mets have seen a winter marked by more losses than it has had gains.

Most notably, the team has lost long-tenured stars Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz to new teams via free agency. And it has traded away veterans Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil as well.

“I certainly understand that there have been points in this offseason that have been frustrating for our fan base,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said this week, per ESPN News Services. “I’m also very convicted that what we are doing is the right thing for our franchise going forward to accomplish our goals of creating a consistent playoff team. A team that year after year is a true World Series contender.”

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New York Mets Sign Top International Infield Prospect Wandy Asigen

And as Mets fans wait for Stearns and company to make a significant big-league move that can replace the recently lost stars, they can take some solace in the addition of a highly-touted international infielder who recently backed out of a commitment with the New York Yankees.

“Dominican SS prospect Wandy Asigen officially signed with the New York Mets,” Major League Baseball insider Francys Romero reported on X, formerly Twitter, alongside a video of the accompanying press conference.

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New York Mets’ Newest Prospect Backed Out Of Deal With New York Yankees

Though Asigen is only 16 years old, he is ranked as the No. 2 international prospect in all of baseball, per MLB.com. The Mets were favored to add him to the organization shortly after news broke that he was leaving an agreement he had with the Yankees.

That decision came as a major surprise, as Asigen is such a highly regarded player and an international prospect backing out of such an agreement is exceedingly rare. And it also came as the Yankees dealt with some turmoil in their international scouting operation.

“With the 2026 international signing period set to begin on Jan. 15, the Yankees are still searching for their next international scouting director,” Gary Phillips reported for the New York Daily News. “One source in the organization said that the Yankees have only ‘started’ conducting interviews as they look to replace longtime director Donny Rowland, who was not retained when his contract expired at the end of the season. The team is not particularly close to naming his successor.”

It was not immediately clear if Rowland’s departure played into Asigen’s decision to back out of his Yankees agreement and join the Mets. But in any case, it seems like the Yankees’ loss has now become the Mets’ gain.