Mets to Trade $20 Million 3-Time All Star to AL West at Midseason
The New York Mets appear ready to endure at least one more year of financial obligations to Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander before turning their attention back to owner Steve Cohen’s five-year World Series plan announced in 2020.
However, as they look towards 2025, they will need to make a decision regarding the future of their homegrown power hitter Pete Alonso. They will have to choose between offering him a new contract, allowing him to leave as a free agent, or trading him before the 2024 deadline to gain some return value. In Erc Karaball’s “Bold Predictions for NL Teams” article for ESPN.com’s fantasy baseball section, he forecasted that the Mets would opt for the latter option, sending Alonso to an American League West team, specifically the Seattle Mariners.
Karaball posed the question, “What will happen with first baseman Pete Alonso? He will be traded to the Seattle Mariners in July.”
According to Karaball’s scenario, 24-year-old designated hitter and third baseman Mark Vientos transitions to first base and takes on the role of the new replacement for Alonso. Also, catcher Francisco Alvarez steps up in hitting prowess, contributing significantly to the offense by smashing a remarkable “team-high 31 home runs.”
Alonso, a three-time All-Star, inked a $20.5 million deal with the Mets earlier in the year to sidestep arbitration.
Reasons Why the New York Mets Could Trade Pete Alonso
There are indications suggesting that Alonso might not remain with the Mets beyond the upcoming season. David Stearns, the Mets’ president of baseball operations, could pursue a trade to acquire value in return rather than risk losing Alonso to another team in free agency. Historically, Stearns has been unlikely to offer contract extensions to players like Alonso.
Paul Hembekides highlighted in his ESPN analysis the trend Stearns has shown during his tenure as the Brewers’ GM, where they had used seven different first basemen on Opening Day in eight seasons, with players like Ryan Braun in 2018 and Keston Hiura in 2021 transitioning to the position.
This history indicates that Stearns does not typically prioritize first base. Unless owner Steve Cohen steps in, the likelihood is that Stearns will lean towards trading Alonso rather than extending his contract, taking advantage of a market lacking hitters of Alonso’s caliber.
It is also possible that Vientos could fill a first-base role if Alonso leaves. Since his call-up in May 2023, Vientos has started 40 games at designated hitter, 20 at third base, and seven at first base. In his 64 innings at first base, he has demonstrated an impressive fielding percentage of .982. Over the past two seasons, Vientos has a batting line of .205/.255/.354 in 254 MLB at-bats.
Currently, Vientos is expected to be the main backup for Alonso at first base.
On the other hand, Karaball’s forecast for Alvarez appears achievable, with FanGraphs’ ZiPS model predicting that he will hit 26 home runs next season. However, even if he surpasses expectations, his offensive output will not match Alonso’s.
Alonso holds a prominent position as one of the most prolific power hitters in MLB. He set the rookie home run record with 53 in 2019 and hit 46 home runs last season.
It seems improbable that the New York Mets and Pete Alonso will reach an agreement on a contract extension.
Regardless, it appears improbable that the Mets and Alonso will come to terms on an extension before the trade deadline on July 30, 2024.
“By choosing to trust in his abilities and becoming a free agent next year, Alonso can assess his actual value through negotiations across the league,” highlighted Anthony DiComo for MLB.com. “On the other hand, the Mets stand to benefit little from signing Alonso at this juncture unless he agrees to a discounted rate due to his connection to the team.”
