The Mets head to London for a World Tour series against the Phillies this weekend. Even after sweeping the Nationals, New York owns a 27-35 record that has them above just the Rockies and Marlins in the National League. They’re remarkably only 3.5 games out of the Wild Card race, a testament to the NL’s mediocrity beyond its top four teams. There are six clubs between the Mets and the current final playoff team, the Padres.
If the Mets don’t make significant improvements in the next six-plus weeks, they’ll head into deadline season as a seller. Impending free agents are always the most apparent trade candidates. The Mets have no shortage of rentals they can market. Sean Manaea (who has a $13.5MM player option for next season), J.D. Martinez, Luis Severino, Harrison Bader, Adam Ottavino, Jose Quintana and Jake Diekman could all move. Yet there’s no more interesting Mets’ trade candidate than their first baseman.
Pete Alonso is a few months from his first trip to the open market. He reportedly declined a $158MM extension offer last summer. President of baseball operations David Stearns made clear throughout the offseason that while the Mets had no interest in trading Alonso over the winter, they didn’t anticipate reopening extension negotiations before he hit free agency.
That should spur plenty of trade speculation as the deadline approaches. That’s evidently already happening in front offices outside of Queens. Jeff Passan of ESPN wrote this week that multiple rival general managers expect the Mets to trade Alonso before the deadline. That seems more like informed speculation than a suggestion that his name has come up in trade talks to this point.
Will talks gain legitimate traction in the coming weeks? There’s a straightforward argument for the Mets to move Alonso. They evidently don’t plan on keeping him from testing the free agent market. Alonso will begin his next contract in his age-30 season. When Stearns was running baseball operations in Milwaukee, the Brewers preferred not to invest heavily in defensively-limited sluggers. He obviously has far more resources at his disposal now, but it’s fair to wonder whether Alonso is the type of player around whom Stearns wants to build.
That’s particularly true with a slight downturn in Alonso’s batted ball metrics. He’s still capable of hitting the ball as hard anyone, but he has done so less frequently over the past couple seasons. The Polar Bear’s rate of hard contact (a batted ball with an exit velocity north of 95 MPH) peaked at 47.3% back in 2021. It dropped by a few points in each of the next two seasons. This year’s 40.1% hard contact rate is a match for last season’s. It places Alonso 129th out of 263 qualified hitters.
The dip in hard contact rate hasn’t made Alonso a bad hitter, of course. He’s hitting .238/.315/.477 with 14 homers across 267 plate appearances. After accounting for the pitcher-friendly nature of Citi Field and a depressed league run environment, that’s 27 percentage points better than average. Alonso remains a middle-of-the-order bat, but it’s a slightly concerning trend for a player whose game is built on power.
If the front office has concerns about Alonso’s long-term projection, a trade would be the most sensible decision. The Mets would get very little in return if they let him walk in free agency. They’d make him a qualifying offer, but they’d only receive a pick after the fourth round if he signs elsewhere. As a luxury tax payor, they’re entitled to the lowest compensation for losing a qualified free agent. The trade offers they receive this summer would certainly be better than that, even if Alonso’s limited control window and $20.5MM arbitration salary make it unlikely they’d get any top-tier prospects in return.
For the Mets to keep Alonso, they’d need to believe there’s a realistic path to the postseason in 2024 and/or feel good about their chances of retaining him in free agency. Making the playoffs this year isn’t impossible, but they’ve put themselves in a hole with their poor start. Holding Alonso would probably be more about the latter scenario — a sign they’re confident that he’ll stay in New York after seeing what other teams will offer.
Owner Steve Cohen is capable of outbidding anyone. He’s presumably keen on retaining Alonso, who has proven himself in New York and has been a fan favorite since his electrifying rookie season. Yet the Mets have been relatively restrained in the last two offseasons after their frenzied effort to spend their way into contention in 2021 didn’t quite pan out. (The Mets did win 101 games in 2022, but they followed up a first-round playoff exit with last year’s 75 wins.) The Mets seem to be gearing up for a bidding war with the Yankees and others on Juan Soto, which could take some of the priority away from Alonso.
It’s at least worth considering the possibility that the Mets trade Alonso before trying to bring him back next winter. That’s not unheard of but doesn’t happen often, particularly with players at the top of the market. A deadline trade typically reflects an understanding that the team and player aren’t going to line up on contract figures.
How will the Mets handle the situation? Is Alonso going to be on the move this summer?
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Probably trade him but the return will be peanuts.
I think they can get someone really good. Might have to throw in a wad of cash but he’s definitely going to get a top prospect from someone.
A top prospect? Not confident any GM is giving up a top prospect for a declining slugger that’s limited defensively.
decline does not matter as much when you are only trading for half a season of his services.
First basemen with an OPS under 800… maybe a B level prospect.
130 OPS+… citi field is one of the hardest home parks to hit in. He’ll bring back a decent prospect. Trade returns are always better than most commenters on here think they should be.
I don’t see it and boras has worked himself into a big pickle with previous years posturing with met’s negotions over LT deal with Alonso.
he should have remembered how poorly his deal with JD Martinez ended, a player with many similarities to Alonso.. Except he could actually get on base AND had power.
This ill concieved plan of his may come back to bite him, if his ego ever has. Then he’ll find something else to blame, like always when something goes wrong.
1 more thing.. Mets are way into penalty CBT wise. offering Alonso arbitrtion they only get a comp 4th rd pick, not 2 and 4th. been that way last 2 cba’s. Only teams getting handouts are immune to the rule.
Martinez is 7 years older. Alonso has led MLB in overall HRs since 2019. The 2 really are not comparable.
Tigers- Not correct. Was refering to deal Martinez signed with boston winter of ’17-18. martinez was at the time, exact same age as Alonso will be as a FA.. Turning 30yo and both are/were terrible fielders at their fielding positions, actually better off as a DH on any team, with JD far better at getting on base (still) when not hitting a HR.
The comparison between the 2 is really close and makes sense. Seeing how difficult it has been for Boras to milk a contract for JD every time should fortell how hard it’s going to be for the inferior Alonso.
And it’s tough to hit homers in overalls.
Alonso actually isn’t terrible at his position. He’ll never be an elite fielder, but he actually had 0 OAA and 6 DRS last year. A little lower this year, but having watched many of the games, he actually has a good glove on grounders, liners, and picking bad throws. The range isn’t very good and his throws aren’t always the best. But he’s not terrible, not to the extent JDM was in the OF.
Alonzo is being paid $20.5M this season. How much more or less than that figure would he be paid if he was on the open market as a free agent right now? Answering that question is how you know how much he would return in a trade.
The Mets also give up a Qualified Offer if they trade him, which just happens to be almost the exact same dollar amount. So you can also ask yourself if the Mets would extend one and whether Alonzo would accept it if offered. Another way to know.
Seems to me he’s right about on market and on the QO bubble. So if the Mets want a big return they will have to kick in some salary,
he is the sort of player that one or two teams overpay for- msot teams would not be interested in going past 3 year- likely 3 for 60m…. but then one team doubles it and feels silly in 2-3 years.
Interesting how nobody ever “underpays.” It’s the baseball version of the Lake Wobegon effect.
Actually, if Alonso is traded during the season his new ballclub can’t give him a qualifying offer.
Actually they do. Snell and Montgomery are two recent examples. Pre arb extensions such as Acuna and Albies are other examples. But I get your point. When I look at what top free agents get I’m glad my team didn’t sign those deals as they all appear to be “overpays”.
Actually, this is my point. The Mets give up the QO opportunity if they trade him. Isn’t that exactly what I said?
The free agent tracker here usually does a good job of predicting years and dollars for free agents. But inevitably if a free agent gets those dollars and years, the verdict by the posters is the player got overpaid in one of the three possible flavors: big, huge, and massive.
“Probably trade him but the return will be peanuts.”
“I think they can get someone really good.”
Maybe you two can meet halfway and the Mets will get some really good peanuts for him.
Nah, they’ll get Cashews, minimum.
Gesundheit!
i think they get a pair of FV 45 type prospects. the question is if that is what they want. The Mancini return sounds about right.
Chayce McDermott and Seth Johnson were the return for Trey Mancini. They may end up being really nice pieces.
Hes so far better than mancini was, so that doesnt seem like a good comp. Alonso has been a regular 40-100 producer his career over full season.
He’s getting outhit by the Ryan O’Hearns of the world now. Hard pass for any contender with a warm body at 1B.
He’s another Boras client whose gonna come back to earth with a thud. Not because he shouldn’t get paid- Just not at the delusional Boras pay scale.
Alonso and Reed Garrett to the mariners for Emerson Hancock and the mariners #5 prospect on mlb.com
they have a good system- that may bee too much. Hancock would not be much an issue since he has not shown much since getting drafted.
As a Mariners fan you’d give up Celesten and Hancock for those two???
Looking at Garrett’s past performance, I could see the wheels falling off. You could just limit Hancock’s innings by switching him to bullpen around the deadline.Celesten was signed last year for almost $5 million. And he really good.
Yeah now I think Celesten is overpay because Alonso isn’t even that good right now
Alonso and Garrett and maybe another reliever too because of the injuries for Hancock and cade Marlowe
As an M’s fan, hard pass. Maybe Hancock, but definitely no on the #5 prospect!
As a Mets fan, I wouldn’t want Hancock, he’s below the prospects they have coming anyway. You all are underrating Alonso’s value, he’s so much better than anyone the Ms have in their lineup other than JRod. Even in a down year now, his OPS+ is 133. It always comes down to how much a team wants to give for a chance to win now.
I do think Alonso will have a similar struggle in free agency as Bellinger and Chapman. He’s having a down year, the market for first base isn’t very robust, and teams are also going to consider Soto as a possible first baseman/DH.
Boras right now has to be rooting for Michael Busch to fail because the Cubs are one of the few “big market” teams who need a first baseman.
When was the last time a good player got traded and then resigned with the team that traded him in the offseason? Slim.
In 1993, Oakland traded Rickey Henderson to Toronto, where he played poorly but won the World Series. He was white hot in Oakland in 1993.
He resigned with Oakland for 1994-1995, and he was still pretty good.
Yeah, that was a long time ago, but I just felt compelled to reply.
Usually the team that is trading him is entering a rebuild and it doesn’t make a ton of sense to sign the guy back for a bunch of money.
It’s definitely more so that than hard feelings or anything like that. Chapman deal worked out nicely for NY & they got him right back.
*cough* aroldis Chapman *cough*
@thebirds When was the last time a soon-to-be free agent of any caliber was traded away and then his original team offered him the most money once he made it to free agency but he took a paycut to sign with someone else? Or publicly said that trading him ruined any chance they might have had of signing him? Cases where the team doesn’t even attempt to bring the player back or tries to lowball him in free agency don’t count.
ny muts are such an embarrassment. didnt trade pete last yr, didnt trade pete in offseason, still havent traded pete. the most incompetent circus in sports history
here’s what the muts will do: keep pete. no trade. no prospects in return. in the offseason he’ll walk. they’ll extend a QO which he’ll reject. and in return the muts will get ONE additional 5th rd pick (bec of how high their payroll/tax bill is). so instead of getting top prospects/picks through trade they’ll end up with jimmy bumblef**k from east iowa community college. what a f’in freak show
you ok?
You seem like a deep thinker
Who hurt you?
I think it’s a team that rhymes with The New York Jets.
Nets?
LOLmets endures on its own. No need to inject teams from other sports.
Bodhi.
What’ll really happen is the Mets sign Jimmy B., then trade him to the Rays for a one-year wonder, and Jimmy goes on to a HoF career.
Now now, I hear Jimmy B. is having a career resurgence. He called Jurickson Profar for advice on how to be a late bloomer.
Jimmy B?
Jimmy Bumblef**k, it’s in the comments.
A deservedly obscure reference.
I thought you said yours nuts are an embarrassment lol sorry for miss reading it
On a side note I think there’s a deal to be made with my brewers for a pitcher…. We have ties to the Mets with stearns….. I don’t think the crew is looking for an ace just a solid inning eater your Mets have that to offer for a low price ps I hope your nuts are good to go my friend!!!!
Fun fact:: Jimmy Bumblef**k would be the first player named “Bumblef**k” ever to make the Majors.
Have to assume he’s a distant relative of Johnny Dickshot
I think the Mets will end up trading him. The question would be to who and for what. Seattle maybe makes sense but that’s a tough place for power hitters to play.
Padres take him and Severino. Shouldn’t cost one of the top 3 guys but maybe a group of the next guys.
How many trades do the Padres need to make?
I could see a deal where they get both Mets pay all the salary and the Mets get one of those pitching prospects Lesko or Snelling. That’s the kind of deal the Mets made at last years deadline.
Yeah, I think Lesko probably is a headliner but with both being rentals, I don’t think you have to higher than Lesko. Add a 10-15 and a 20-30 package maybe?
Bat is needed as well as a quality starter if Joe is out long term.
Window is now so those 2026 prospects can be used.
Yeah the Padres have a window of this year and next. After that the team will have to take a step back for at least a year or 2. No sense in being average you want to be a contender or terrible. I think the Padres upper management understands this even if the team hasn’t performed as such.
“This year and next..step back for at least a year”….I agree that the Friars may have a year or two “window”, but when they “step back” after that it’s likely to be for the better part of a decade, not a year or 2. They’ll be paying Manny & Bogey(-W.A.R in yr 2 of 10+ yr deal) a third of their payroll for the next 10+ yrs and both already play and run like men in their late 50’s. Both their contracts are untradeable and already near underwater. After the next year or 2, I expect the Padres to be lost in the wilderness of irrelevance, for likely the next 8-10 yrs.
MLB fan – I don’t agree with your overall but a few points are likely to turn out to be accurate.
As a long standing Pad fan, if that is the price to pay for what they have tried then well, at least it was because of going for it. In the past Padres fans have had to live in that wilderness with a payroll in the bottom 5!
Yeah that very well could be MLB fan. They might want to trade the farm away to keep their window open for a few more years and then accept the sucking for a few years after that.
Yeah I don’t think the strategy the Padres are implementing as bad or wrong. It just hasn’t worked out the last few years.
@Longtimecoming & Blackpink…You both raise solid points. I hope I’m wrong actually, because the only 2 teams I actually root against, both reside in New York. If it were up to me, every team in MLB would succeed, except the Yankees & Mets.
that would be a heck of a return…. i was thinking the teir below them- since the money is not huge by the time the deadline hits- basically 1/3 of their salary- so about 13m for the 2 (did not look them up, but i am assuming 20 and 15m respectively)
It just hasn’t worked out the last few years.
============================
It might be either Preller hyperactivity, or Seidler’s passing, but had they stuck with some of the kids, they’d have a monster squad, with a really young team.
The Soto trade was a huge setback.
One thing you have to say about the Madres is they have an amazing ability to trade away prospects and still not skip a beat in terms of stocking their farm. Their skill in replenishment is quite astounding.
Yeah Joe I think specifically the Soto trade didn’t work out. But some of this is hindsight if the Padres had played better with Soto and won a championship then of course it would have been worth it. And considering the owner was dying I can’t fault him for handing out those silly long term deals or trading away young talent he won’t be around to see develop.
I have no issue with Seidler wanting a WSC.
But I don’t care for the logic of ‘if they win a WS, it was all worth it”. That reduces a trade to whether of not a team won a WC game, or came back from a game 7 2-run deficit in the 9th.
Is the Stanton trade, or the Castellanos signing going to be good or bad, depending on whether one their teams win a WS this year?
Stanton was signed for a very long time. And the Yankees have a ton of money to spend every year. That’s not the same as the what the Padres did when they traded for Soto. With Soto the Padres had a small window and if they had won in that small window it would have all been worth it.
Same thing with Castellanos that was one move among many many other moves. The Phillies and Yankees have increased payroll to astronomical levels the last few years. The Padres had to trade Soto because they couldn’t afford to pay him any longer.
It will always be weird that in the off season and months after trading for Juan Soto they gave Manny Machado and Xander Boegarts a combined 630m. I really wish we could have found out if Machado would have ended up opting out of his 5/150m after his mediocre 2023 with a looming elbow surgery. The chance of him securing more $ then 150m after opting out seems slim to none. Only Stephen Strasburg has navigated an opt out with a better outcome.
I have read that it was Preller’s preference to wait on Machado and that adds up with how close Machado and Seidler were.
I would love to see him in Seattle but don’t think he’d sign a long term deal here, as ownership has shown lack of large contract commitments to anyone other than Julio, and Castillo. My guess, he’d be a rental for the remainder of this season here in the PNW.
Looking at it I don’t think the Mariners match up very well with the Mets for a trade. Mets need pitching and that’s not what the Mariners have, at least not guys they would trade.
The Mets farm has a lot of pitching.
They need major league ready arms a lot of the rotation is up for free agency and they don’t have guys ready to replace them.
Yes, a nice amount of starting pitching this season, albeit mediocre. Next season, not so much. Unless Cohen starts throwing money around again. Interesting offseason ahead. Last year they said they were looking towards 2025 to build a contender. But they’re gonna lose a ton of free agents. Building a contender doesn’t happen in one year. Tons of work cut out for the front office, starting with this year’s trade deadline.
Building a contender doesn’t happen in one year.
===========================
When you spend $300M+, it shouldn’t even take one full season. That’s the equivalent of 15 $20M players. If you have any farm whatsoever, you should be successful.
Mets have strong sp prospects coming to add to senga and scott. Im sure theyll push to sign fried or burnes in offseason. I think they have a much bigger need for hitting prospects now bc theres are either hurt or struggling.
Not much harder than citi field
The least expected option: trade him for a prospect that is, soon after, permanently banned from gambling on the game.
Aren’t all players permanently banned from gambling on the game?
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Commas are our friends.
And just in case you don’t remember where the commas go, just remember, what is the difference between a cat and a comma?
A cat has claws at the end of its paws,
while a comma is a pause at the end of its clause.
I would no longer say that Alonso is defensively limited. He’s not Freddy Freeman but has worked hard to get better defensively. I also don’t see the Mets going after Soto unless the Yankees back out. I don’t think Cohen and Steinbrenner are looking to get into a bidding war over each other’s players, just a guy feeling. I think their first target is Corbin Burnes and then may go after Cody Bellinger and then…..
Cohen better go after Soto.
I don’t think there’s any way the Yankees let Soto walk. He’s become a huge part of that city and the fan base
“Let Soto walk”…Soto has obviously made it hard, but it won’t surprise me if and when he leaves N.Y. Hal Steinbrenner and GM Cashman have made clear the Soto acquisition is only about this year and Soto and his management team have made clear their only real “loyalty” is to the almighty dollar. I just cannot see the Yankees paying a CBT penalty tax ON TOP of a possibly $400M+ Soto contract. Unless the Yanks pull off the most radical payroll engineering & reduction feat in history, I just cannot see them paying Soto $400M+ and then paying a $200M+ tax penalty on top of that.
Maybe the Soto plane will actually land in Toronto!
If anything the Yankees have made it clear that they want to make Soto a Yankee for the rest of his career. Hals payroll comment was a jab at the luxury tax system and revenue sharing. The Yankees could (and will) let the impending FA walk. Verdugo, Rizzo, Holmes, Cortes, Torres they’re all out of here and they’re gonna let the kids play. Staying under 250M is not impossible. As far as Mutts fans wanting Soto what’s the point? It’s like a Lamborghini parked at a trailer park. The Angels had 2 generational talents in their prime and never got past the wild card. Yankees actually have a team around Soto and Judge. What do the Mets have? Mutts fans and Cohen should focus on rebuilding around Alvarez and Baty.
only way you shed that much money is attaching a ton of prospects to the contracts- and no one is going to take that on.
Padres wanted to make Soto a Padre for the rest of his career too.
Agreed, save for Baty who has had over 500 ABs and simply not hit enough. Corbin Burns would fill a bigger need for The Mets.
Radical deal for Soto? It will be structured similarly to that of Ohtani’s deal since the Dodgers have now shown everyone how to beat the tax, kicking the can down the road.
The blueprint is there. Just how much do you want to be reminded of Bobby Bonilla in New York is the question.
“Rest of his career too”..
Exactly. What else is anyone supposed to say?..The player can’t say “I hate it here”, because they still have time left there and Steinbrenner can’t say, “I want him gone because he’s too expensive”, because fans would villify him after the way Soto’s been playing. I rely more on what Steinbrenner/Cashman said at the time of Soto acquisition and that was “it’s only about this year”. Nowadays, public figures reveal very little truth, in favor of(keeping their jobs)saying what they think people want to hear.
Padres are underwater. The Yankees aren’t underwater they are CHOOSING to reduce payroll they don’t HAVE to.
If they end up dealing everyone, I don’t expect them to be all in on FAs next year either. This could be a year rebuild project.
they have a lot of mllb ready talent without as much in the lower minors- so i could see that being the plan. Swap out for a few mlb ready guys to save a little elsewhere and just reallocate the money to a big time free agent in the offseason.
Anyone who can play only one position is “defensively limited”.
That includes Alonso.
Your period placement is incorrect. It is to go inside the quotation. Shame on you.
No,. you are wrong.
Yet again.
Alonso is defensively limited. Is and always will be. Just because he works at it doesn’t mean he’s improved. He still can’t throw or field.
If Cohen backs out of Soto negotiations to not upset his butt buddy, I’m finding a new team
“That’s not unheard of but doesn’t happen often, particularly with players at the top of the market.”
Nor do players at the top of the market typically leave money on the table to sign with someone other than the team that drafted and developed them.
“A deadline trade typically reflects an understanding that the team and player aren’t going to line up on contract figures.”
Alternatively it could mean they know they aren’t going to make the playoffs this year and would rather cash in the player’s last 2 months of arb control for prospects but are still ready and willing to offer him what it takes once he makes it to the open market.
Steve Cohen can absolutely afford to trade Pete then just offer him more and more and more money until he finally says “OK you win!” if he wants. It’s possible they might not want to commit the big money to defensively limited sluggers as mentioned but if they are willing to make an exception for Alonso this is exactly the “type” of situation where I could see such a maneuver working out.
When was the last time a big time soon to be free agent was traded away and then they signed with their former team in the offseason?
I believe it’s happened before. But it’s not common at all. I can’t recall when it happened last.
Aroldis Chapman I think?
@Blackpink in the area When was the last time a soon-to-be free agent of any caliber was traded away and then his original team offered him the most money once he made it to free agency but he took a paycut to sign with someone else? Or publicly said that trading him ruined any chance they might have had of signing him? Cases where the team doesn’t even attempt to bring the player back or tries to lowball him in free agency don’t count.
Typically when you’re not a contender this year—you’re not a contender next year or you simply can’t afford to resign the guy. No surprise that it doesn’t happen often but certainly could happen w/ Alonso.
@jbigz12 Well we KNOW Steve Cohen can afford to re-sign the guy. On paper they should contend but #LOLMets will always reign supreme.
The NYM are probably going to lose a gazillion $$$ this year. Even rich people get annoyed at that.
Oh and one more thing I forgot to mention. We already know the prospects are worth more to Steve Cohen than the money. He proved this at last summer’s trade deadline, paying down as much of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer’s salaries as it took to get the prospects he wanted in return. When people say they would rather extend a guy than trade him, what they really mean is they don’t want to have to be in a bidding war. But Steve Cohen ain’t scared of no bidding war. He has “800-pound gorilla” type of money.
Severino and Bader probably getting traded too
Martinez as well.
There isn’t a single player that’s active right now on the Mets roster that wouldn’t be considered for trade. Alvarez would be off the table, but he’s not active.
They’re not trading Vientos either.
Oh you know this for a fact, Mr. I know everything?
Just my best guess.
But who pi$$ed in your cereal to make you so angry?
He’s movable. He doesn’t have a position. DH is his ceiling.
He’s grabbed the 3B position and forced them to send down Baty. The way he’s hitting , he’ll take over at 1B when Alonso is traded.
Alvarez can’t catch so I doubt he’d totally be off the table too.
Alvarez is a fine catcher that pitchers like behind the dish.
Feel free to actually, you know, watch the Mets sometime.
Alvarez is also young and coachable. I see him and O’Hoppe as 2 of the best underrated young catchers playing now.
He’s a liberal.
What a colossally dumb, irrelevant comment.
vtadave must be a Trump supporter. Not the sharpest knives in the drawer.
ahhh yes from the guy who can’t seem to not bring trump up lol at least us trump supporters understand basic biology, that men shouldn’t compete with woman, that our voting base is not flooded with people who shouldn’t be here and so on but yet we are not the sharpest knifes lol your a clown
@jbig – he’s rated as one of the best framers in MLB. Decent arm as well.
I don’t think the return will be enough for the team to take the bullets they would by trading him. I think he gets the QO and keep him for the year or wish him well when he signs elsewhere. He is a better player but… Alonso has that Luke Voit vibe all over him. He’s looking like he will hit the wall incredibly hard in the next 2-3 years.
Pay down expiring contracts to get a better return.
but how much excess value is there for Alonso to do that.
Lets say he is a 4 WAR player…. so the team is buying roughly 2 WAR down the stretch…. and he is making about 20mil- about what a 4 WAR player should get on the open market (a little light). So if you pick up all of it- you are looking at a back end of top 100 prospect to pay all of it. You are still not looking at something overly great.
Mr. Stearns has a 3-5 year plan that no one here knows about. Where Alonso or anyone else fits is not known. What is known is that the long-term Lindor contract is hardly a positive moving forward.
With the owner seemingly bent on having the highest MLB payroll each year, Stearns will have the money to sign a run-producer when the time comes. But at this point the Mets are hardly a few players away from championship contention. Obviously the money doesn’t matter to the owner, but the multi-year contracts given to Marte, Nimmo, McNeil and others force Stearns to use up roster spots while the manager has to play them. Steans knows this is unworkable if the object is to be a championship contender. The Mets will have to develop at least half of their players on their ML roster. They’ll come from the Mets farm system, minor trades, and waiver-type signings.
I loved watching Pete play his first year or so. But his defense is still uneven, and he’s basically a power hitter. Guys like him can always be found.
So how do you know?
Gee….
Where did I write that I did?
Please troll someone else, kid.
“Mr. Stearns has a 3-5 year plan that no one here knows about.”
That insinuates that you know and no one else does.
Kid.
It’s actually a 4-8 year plan.
Should have traded him last year. I’ve been wanting them to trade him since he came up. His best comparables are Ryan Howard and Chris Davis, who were both terrible contracts. The only guy with his profile who aged gracefully was David Ortiz and that happened because the Red Sox refused to give him a long term deal, which gave him incentive to lose weight when he got older
Probably the worst take ever . Do us a solid and self mute.
I will take your lack of logical supporting details as evidence that you have zero logical supporting details behind this comment
@cheddahbob
I will take your lack of logical supporting details as evidence that you have zero logical supporting details behind this comment
He will not age well in my opinion but to have traded him when he came up is completely illogical. they received even at his lowest point last season 25% better than average batter along with 2 homerun derbys and twice in the top 10 of mvp voting while up until this year paying him basically a pittance for his production. This also does not include the marketing they made off the polar bear.
All things that are valued on the trade market. I’m not saying they necessarily should have traded him early but the plan never should have been to sign him long term and that means they always should have been at least listening to offers on him. Everything you mentioned has value on the trade market
@thecheddah
“I’ve been wanting them to trade him since he came up. ”
“I’m not saying they necessarily should have traded him early”
huh? Sound like your saying i should to go out to eat then saying we shouldnt go out to eat in the same breathe. That must the some new math type of logic.
The logic is simple. “I’ve been wanting to go get dinner at an Italian restaurant since 9am.” You can have the thought at 9am but still not actually execute on the thought until the appropriate time. From the moment Alonso came up, I was aware it would be a bad idea to extend him. It’s never a good idea to let him walk via free agency, so from the time he came up I have wanted them to trade him. Most likely, last years deadline would have been when he would have gotten the best return
Your logic is still flawed
you said you wanted him “traded since he came up”. He is already there unless you are saying dinner on the table is not actually dinner or your breakfast and dinner are the same. Lets say they followed your want, how could they have done a trade last season (early) if he was traded already 4 years ago. Sounds like you trying to pull some Billy Eppler / John Coppolella type stuff. Unless the early you are referring to is when he was in the minors.
by your logic you would have extended guys like matt harvey, ike davis, dom smith, and thor as they were in the long term plans then traded away guys like jacob degrom. DeGrom wasnt even the best pitching prospect at the time as they had harvey, wheeler and thor ahead of him when he came up so he was definitely not in the long term plans. .
If I said “traded since he came up” you would be correct since the word “traded” is in the past tense. Unfortunately, your logic is based on you misquoting me and your entire comment becomes irrelevant once you acknowledge I did not phrase my comment in the past tense. Nice try though
“I did not phrase my comment in the past tense. ”
per the blue book of grammar and punctuations, Have been and has been are verb constructions that are used in the present perfect tense and the present perfect progressive tense. The present perfect tense identifies an action or a state that took place at an unspecified time in the PAST.
“”I’ve been wanting them to trade him since he came up. “”
I’ve is a contraction of I have. “I have been” would have taken place at an unspecified time in the past. The only thing is you named a time in the past, which is when he got called up. I guess you could think he was called up today, but i believe everything says he came up about 5 years ago out of spring training and probably wouldn’t have an issue since he would be under control for cheap for another 4 or 5 more years.
So this justification holds no water and your logic still fails.
Correct, my desire has been in the past. But the word “trade” is a present or future tense of the word. So “I’ve wanted” means the desire existed in the past tense but the word “trade” means the execution is either in the present or future tense. The fact remains that you had to misquote me and use the word “traded” to even make your point. If you had a leg to stand on then there was no reason for you to misquote me in the first place. If you don’t even know how to properly use quotations I don’t expect you to be able to intelligently interpret my comments
You have an extra space before your first period. Learn how to write before offending someone.
You’re referring to The King Buddha’s comment, not mine. Learn how to read before offending someone.
“Extra space”?
You seem to have lots of extra space between your ears.
And you are the last one to tell anyone to learn to write better.
The team has been prepping the media for a trade. At this point, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t dealt.
I’m starting to feel that if they don’t turn things around, you pay rest of his salary and trade him for a decent prospect or mlb ready starter or something. It’s not gonna be garbage like I’ve read in these comments. They got very good prospects across the board for the people they traded last year and alonso is the best of the bunch. Then I think Mets approach him hard in off season to bring him back. Fans will want him back and he will want to be back when he sees the soto deal they make too.
Sterns couldn’t have made his first move as gm to be trading alonso this past off season. None of this is on sterns. It’s a reset year in hopes of making playoffs and if not there are tons of traceable pieces to pad the minors more. It’s a brilliant idea for one year. Next year is the first true year of the sterns/cohen Mets and I’m excited for the future. And excited for Alonso in the middle of a lineup that has nimmo, Lindor, himself, soto, and alvarez. Marte and mcneil have to be used as fourth outfielder and backup infielder and not starters.
Senga Scott hopefully two big free agents or a guy in the alonso trade, and then invest for real in bullpen help. I like this path.
Why should we pay attention to someone who can’t even copy the name “Stearns” correctly?
Your spelling is almost as brutal as your ridiculous comment.
His Agent should be fired for his rejection of the contract last year.. There are probably 20 hitters in triple A who could give 90% of his production at 1b..
He will get more then that contract the Muts offered him, bank on it
I’ll bet you any amount you want over paypal
90 percent of your comment should be flagged and muted for absolute nonsense.
A 800 OPS 1b in triple A that plays for the minimum. Or a 850 OPS guy that costs over 20 million. Tough choice
Not tough at all. You take the .850 OPS guy in the MLB for 20 mil.
Why on earth would you take the AAA player with an .800 OPS? Is that even a bench player when you adjust for the MLB?
I meant 800 OPS guy in MLB. Every team has a guy in triple A that is like 26 years old that can hit. I’m sure the Mets do. Then sign a SP and a good bullpen guy.
@steve
I get that you’re trying to say that it is theoretically possible to find most of Pete’s hitting for a fraction of the price. But MiLB players turned 800 OPS Major Leaguers don’t just grow on trees like you’re suggesting, though. Baty, for example, was a high OPS guy in the minors, was touted as such, and still hasn’t put it together yet. And there are more examples like him than guys who show up in the bigs and maintain an 800 OPS.
Mets are in a good position to reload for next year. Alonso, Martinez, Bader, Severino and Manea are all veterans playing well enough to have good trade value. Only Alonso would bring back a upper prospect but they should be able to put a good dent in rebuilding for ’25.
Someone doesn’t understand the low trade value of his favorite team’s underperforming/aging/limited-role players.
Shocked that it’s a Mets fan….
@lester, who’s a Mets fan?
It’s also a good upcoming free agent class. They will pay down those contracts if they decide to sell.
@StudWinfield like on the Pickers; Mets are going to have to eat salary and make a packaged deal to get back anything in return including dumping Polar Beer.
I desperately want Polar Bear Pirate
Polar Bear Pirate would make a great heavy metal band name tbh
Alonso gets traded to the Astros. Despite their record they can jump right back into that AL west race.
Alonso replacing Singleton / Abreu at 1B would be huge for them.
Mets probably scouted their prospects intensely LY before deciding on Clifford & Gilbert
Astros could also be heavily in the market for Severino with Urquidy and Javier going down.
Melton (who would be 2025 ready) along with a lower level lottery ticket or two for both?
…..or maybe the 3.5 games out of the wildcard Mets should keep Alonso amen flip last years hypes haul of Gilbert, Clifford and Acuna to the White Sox for Roberts & Crochet
…..or do both, send Alonso out for prospects and use some prospects to get Roberts & Crochet
Have you seen the Mets pitching staff? Jesus couldn’t help them.
I have seen talk of Alonso, Josh Bell, and I think Christian Walker I think it is for Houston. But would Alonso just be a rental. I think is better than Singleton and Abreu. But with pitching as well a big need too. Wonder if any good third base options out there. If Bregman walks at end of season for Astros. I am not sure who is best for Houston or if they get any better. Yes was shocked this season the way things have played out. But guess we shall see in next month plus if things change with Alonso as deadline gets closer
Of course they have to deal. This group is not working. Not sure what the return will be. Will depend on how many serious suitors.
Polar Bear has not been all that great since the beginning of 2023. Might have been a wise move to have traded him last offseason.
Stearns is going to put on a trading clinic in the next couple months. Mix and match, throw in cash….he’s going to make a killing. i bet he moves at least six players.
Alonso HAS value, especially for a team lacking power and either a DH or 1B. Cubs and Mariners are obvious candidates. Adding a big thumper in the middle of either lineup could make the difference..
How about Jordan Wicks for Alonso? That seems fair.
Add Mervis and another low prospect and this is fine deal. Cubs would have to secure a long term deal prior to trade to give up more.
Off to the Tigers for Tork in a package. The Tigers need more hitting and more power.
Could make sense. Tigers need to step up the next few weeks and prove they are a contender. If so then yeah the need is certainly there makes sense.
Tigers aren’t trading Tork for an average 1b around 30. Stop embarrassing yourself.
Why not?
Pick up Alonso, Parada and Baty for Tork, Jung and pitching not named Skubal, Flaherty, Olson or Jobe. The Tigers need hitting now and Tork isn’t providing it from AAA. Baty has underperformed, Tork has underperformed so a change of scenery might work for both. Baty actually plays 3B where the Tigers future plan is to move the converted 2B Jung. The Tigers need a catcher of the future. The Mets could use more pitching. Or sub in a SS of the future from the Mets because they have a bunch of those as well. McGonigle will likely end up at 2B and Keith at 1B eventually according to scouting reports.
We both know Harris will never do it but with the pitching staff Detroit has they should start making some moves to fill in the gaps (catcher and SS of the future and some hitting for the present).
If you don’t like the suggestion come up with a better one. I’m just spitballing ideas dude.
I do like the idea of swapping Torkelson and Baty. I think Torkelson is worth more but that gives the Tigers some upside that they lose if they trade Torkelson.
Bet he doesn’t. They’re only 3.5 games out of a playoff spot and with an easier schedule finally coming, there’s no reason to think they still can’t contend
I think you are right. No one in front of them is really pulling away and they have the prospect capital to buy if they are close. They could just as easily be buyers if they win a few in a row.
@burn0820 games back in WC means nothing; they have to jump practically whole NL! Keep dreaming.
The only thing they are going to battle is the Nats and Marlins for last place and the Nats have better pitching
Hard pass for the M’s!
Right, Stearns in Milwaukee didn’t invest heavily in defensively-limited sluggers…trouble is he invested in the offensively challenged…Stearns and even Cohen won’t get a Xmas card from me this year if this is the route they’re planning…
Cubs and Mets align for this one. PCA back to the team who drafted him?!?
I’d do it. Can’t stand Alonso. He needs to go.
Won’t you miss all those meaningless solo homers late in the game, when they’re down by 5?
Not as much as his helmet slamming pouting b*tch face when he strikes out for the umpteenth time.
Pete Alonso will not leave NY. He will be traded to the Yankees for their #10 prospect Brock Selvidge and #12 prospect Ben Rice., Yankees will sign Alonso to a 6 year 175 to 185 million dollar deal. They will also re sign Soto. Rizzo will be traded with the Yankees eating some money.
No.
Yankees will have no interest in him.
He’ll return to the Mets.
The Yankees aren’t this stupid. They can’t negotiate a new deal with Alonso before a trade happens, that’s tampering. MLB isn’t the NBA. They’re not stupid enough to trade two top 20 prospects for a guy who could very realistically decide to walk in the offseason. The only way the Mets could have maybe gotten an offer like this is if he’d been traded with 1.5-2 years of team control. Even then it’s quite doubtful the Yankees would have been dumb enough to trade two top 20 prospects for a guy with declining batted ball metrics, who’s already limited defensively. Alonso will be best suited as a DH in a couple years.
So what you’re saying is you’ll have Stanton 1 and Stanton 2.
The Reds are down a 1B, and Alonso’s power would shine in GABP. His downward trajectory as a hitter might turn around a bit with a new club in a hitter friendly stadium. It would also make the cost of acquiring him palatable for the Reds.
If the Reds are dumb enough to trade for him, I’m sure the Mets would oblige and gladly take one or two of the many players/prospects the Reds have.
Padres will take JD Martinez and Harrison Bader to sure up DH and OF depth. Mets send cash to cover rest of salary. Padres send Graham Pauley and JD Gonzalez, and Brandon Nett
Padres then pivot within the division. Ask about Trevor Williams from Nats and Tanner Scott of Marlins.
Final deal is padres bring in Korey Lee or Danny Jensen to sure up C
He’s not going anywhere, people. He’s a Met for life.
No reason to keep him at the price he’ll want. The Snell signing and others like it are going to deter GMs from making long term expensive deals at some point.
The Mets can easily trade him and sign him back. I’m not sure for much, though does he get more than Judge or Lindor? IMO I hate to admit but he’s gone but Mets sign Soto. Worst nightmare
If they trade him, I’m done being a Mets fan. You have the richest owner in the sport, you don’t trade away homegrown stars
Buh bye to both of you. Rich owner or not, homegrown or not, we shouldn’t be overpaying.
Tell that to Milwaukee who got an awesome return on Burnes
If they DON’T trade him I’m done being a long time Mets fan!
Turning 30 and already in a steep decline and never been a clutch hitter nor can he hit the good teams. Go look last year at his HRs against the Phils, Dodgers, Atlanta, Brewers; next to nothing.
Polar Beer and Linwhore will cost you 3/4 of billion dollars to bat around 220 to 230.
BoreAss will ask big money; he turned down great offer from the Mets and didn’t even try to negotiate it up which I’m sure was just a starting point.
My fan conscience is clear; he didn’t try to work with the Mets
1. You won’t stop being a Mets fan. Stop lying
2. There is no such thing as clutch. Players will hit towards their normal stats in the long run in “clutch” situations. And you have no proof he isn’t “clutch” anyways
I will also stop being a fan. I stand with Canosucks. And I have his sworn testimony under oath saying that he will stop being a fan and he will also pay me 2 million in assorted Swedish fish if Alonso is traded. I only tell the truth.
Mets ownership pumped so much money into their organization which essentially will lead to then buying a farm system. They could always say “we increased payroll to try to really go all in” when it really just amounts to putting lots of money into the organization to stimulate it. Whether planned or not that’s how it is likely unfolding. A rich (and willing) team truly can spend their way through a rebuild/retooling stage. Just some thoughts I had
Please for the sake of my fantasy team
He gets dealt unless somehow the Mets improve which I doubt. They aren’t resigning him and they aren’t winning seems like a clear situation of take the best offer you can get whatever that is. Stearns runs his front offices spending smart money and moving players he doesn’t have plans on investing in. I will say FA seems to be a real roll of the dice these days and the old Boras way of waiting until February or March for deals to materialize look like a thing of the past. Teams spend their budgets early to avoid being forced into signing a player they don’t love or can’t afford to fill holes. Its almost like the NFL now there’s a signing frenzy for a few and the rest have to wait and settle for lesser deals
This new dead ball era don’t seem to be good for Pete. He’d be hands down the best hitter on Detroit, but if the ball stays this dead, not for the cash he’s looking for. When a contract goes bad like with Detroit’s Javy it feels like a eternity till their gone. Detroit’s Zimmerman was the worst, but Javy is trying to catch him.
No, he wouldn’t. Carpenter is better, and Greene will be better within a year. Torkelson will still figure it out and have more value by 2026
Trade Alonso to the Cubs for Busch and Horton or to the Mariners for Woo or Miller and Ty France ?
Mets certainly need pitching and Seattle has the depth. I like Miller, but the Mets might like Hancock more .
Why on earth would seattle do that? lol
For power , Seattle has plenty of pitching, especially to stay on top of Texas, Scherzer and DeGrom are coming back for the run at the end
half a year of Alonzo isn’t worth 1 good prospect, let alone 2 of them.
The NYMs would have to send Seattle a couple of prospects to make that work. Woo and Miller are much more valuable than 2 months of Alonso.
This is a great opportunity for the Giants right here. Trade for and resign.
Yeah,the Giants need another bad signing.
The Mariners are a surprisingly good fit here… Whaddya say Trader Jerry?
Yes, Mets should trade him. Enough with the emotions of the fans. It’s time to cash in on the guy and move on. He’s just another ball player. Plus, he’s an aging 1B man so I can’t see the value in keeping him around for long. They don’t usually age well.
Having been a life long, since 1970, Brewers fans. I watch the Mets because of David Stearns being there. It’s interesting to watch now that he has basically unlimited payroll and access to any player he wants.
Would be interesting to know his long term thoughts on how he moves the Mets forward.
Trade Pete , and others, maybe collect controllable bullpen pieces , prospects, international pool money, if they really want Pete sign him in March when reality hits his market value
The Pirates would be smart to try and make a move. Taking 2 of 3 from LA and seeing rhe pitching step up could push the issue that they NEED a bat now. Especially at 1B.
The Pirates can have a reunion with Marte if they want him
As an Irish man and an A’s fan my opinion may not really count but I did live close to willets point/citi field stop on the 6 train for 10 years. My official opinion on this if anyone cares to listen is this…… Yes! Trade him for both your sakes, it’s only a small sample size but he made three tremendous plays a few days ago on defense so that shows he has it in him and he’s not just a polar bear. He shows up in an average team and seems to love the game of baseball. He deserves a ring and the Mets deserve an extremely good return trade wise because (also as an A’s fan) they have just horrific luck for whatever reason it may be. Slow play the market and DH him every second day so limiting the possibility of him getting hurt which, as a Mets player, he surely will. The Braves is my obvious choice to platoon him and Matt Olson(A’s product) but that’s not happening obviously. Give him to the Baltimore orioles as a DH for this season and let him break yankee hearts and get 2 major league ready studs in return!!! Puzzle solved for everyone and he will live long in Mets memories as a Mets legend and a Yankee destroyer.
Thanks for all that, but we agree with your first sentence.
1-I would keep Alonso, offer him a QO, and be prepared to match any reasonable offer.
2-I’d get rid of McNeil, Bader, JD, Marte, Severino, Quintana, Houser, Ottavino, Diekman. They are all mostly worthless, but I’d offer to eat 100% of their salary and hope for some useful lottery tickets or SP turned RP prospects.
Then I’d re-sign Alonso and go after the Japanese kid. Promote anyone possible. Take a year off if necessary, but they need a re-boot pretty badly.
Cubs have shown interest in the past, although if they decide to move Belli to 1st & run PCA out in CF the rest of the season, then that interest may wane.
But, but, but, Mets fans say he’s the best first baseman in baseball. What a fanbase. What a franchise.
Pete Alonso to the Pirates makes sense in so many ways. Except to their ownership.
Pirates aren’t ready to win the division this year, most likely, and they’re certainly not going to sign him long-term. For those reasons, I actually don’t feel like it makes sense. Not to knock the Bucs, they’re on their way. Just probably not there yet.
MLBTR having some slow days? Time to pile on the Mets for some comments?
Tough call for the Mets. Alonso hasn’t played well enough in 2023-24 to be worth a big haul in a trade (or even the contract Alonso declined last year). If they are out of the race, it will be tempting to get what you can for him, but trading him for peanuts will not play out well with Mets fans, especially those that still want the Mets to sign him long-term.
I think there is a bigger question of if the Mets will be in a position to sell. Eight games under .500 in June doesn’t look pretty, but they are still just 3 games out of a playoff spot with 100 games to go. In the past 6 weeks, they’ve lost 5+ games when they had a lead entering the 9th, plus a few more with the lead heading into the 8th. That suggests a struggling bullpen and incomplete team, but if the Mets held on to win for just 3 of those games, they would be currently tied for a wild card spot. I’m not suggesting they are juggernauts, but they should be able to stick around .500, and that’s a wild card contender in the NL this year, not a seller.
“MLBTR having some slow days? Time to pile on the Mets for some comments?”
The Mets have had so few postgame pile-ons, someone had to step up.
Keep gulping that Mets Kool-Aid.
Suggesting that a team that’s led through the first 7-8 innings more often than not is around a .500 club in a league with only 4 of 15 teams over .500 is not really gulping that kool-aid, but OK…
The Mets have 99 games left, 18 of which will be against Atlanta, Philly, Milwaukee, or LAD. Even accounting for the remaining tough interleague matchups, the Mets have 70+ games against teams currently under .500 left this season.
Right now, on June 9, the only teams out of it in the NL are the Rockies and Marlins. Any other team can get hot and take control of the second wild card spot, and there’d still be a third wild card spot up for grabs.
Down to 84 games left, Mets already back to .500, so yeah, I’ll keep drinking that kool-aid…
Wild card spot at the ASB, this kool-aid tastes so good
70% overreacting
15% typical Mets trolling
10% logical discussion
5% Don’t know how to be an MLB fan based on the illegitimacy of their rationale
Yep. It’s a standard Mets thread on MLBTR.
There’s still a lot of baseball to be played before the trade deadline. In spite of how badly and inconsistently the team has played in the first 2 months, the Mets are only 4 games out of the last wild card spot. Add to that the schedule they are playing is pretty weak through August with the exception of a few series, they actually could wind up a couple of games above .500 and in the mix for a WC.
If they are still in the hunt come the last week of July I think that they will not be sellers and will hold on to him. Then at the end of the season they’ll issue him a QO, let him shop around for his best deal and decide whether they want to match it. I personally would not pay him Freeman or Olson numbers and years as I don’t think that contract will age well and they have players in the pipeline (including Vientos) who can play the position passably for a lot less money and commitment. I’d rather see Mr. Cohen spend his money on Soto, Burnes, and whoever else is coming out of Japan.
If they are completely out of the WC race come the deadline, then they should weigh whether the prospect return is higher than what they’ll get in the draft when he rejects the QO. I think he stays for the rest of the season and is playing for someone else next year who will soon regret the contract they gave him.
I agree with a lot of what you said. However, unless the team that offers him a large payday is the Rockies (with 1B Kris Bryant already in tow), I don’t think anyone is going to pay him enough for him to walk away from the Mets. I think he’s going to seriously regret turning down their offer from last summer.
There’s also a scenario where he gets insanely hot in 2024 and helps lead the Mets back into the playoff picture, in which case his market gets a little more confusing.