The New York Mets did quite a bit of work to their roster ahead of 2024. President of baseball operations David Stearns was busy rebuilding both the starting rotation and bullpen while creating position-player depth. One thing that hasn’t been done is agreeing to a long-term extension with first baseman Pete Alonso.
If New York is out of contention by the summer and becomes trade-deadline sellers, Alonso will once again see his name churn through the rumor mill. Where could he land? Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller shared predictions on where top trade targets could end the 2024 season on February 26. He’s predicting that the Toronto Blue Jays land the slugger for the stretch run.
“Teams have grown increasingly reluctant to give up a top prospect for a two-month rental, but with Alonso, there’s a good chance he’ll give you 15-20 home runs during those two months—and ideally at least a few more in October,” he said. “It should be quite the bidding war for the Polar Bear if the Mets are as unimpressive as the preseason projections suggest.”
The Blue Jays are looking for a way to get over the hump. They’ve reached the postseason three times since 2020. However, they’ve been swept out of the Wild Card Round on each occasion and haven’t won a playoff game since 2016.
Mets Hoping They Don’t Turn Into Sellers Again
New York spent a record amount of money to assemble its 2023 roster. Nothing went as planned once the year started, which spurred them to be sellers at the trade deadline. Alonso saw his name pop up in the rumor mill, but nothing serious ended up happening.
Although Stearns has been busy building his roster, he’s done it with many moves that won’t grab a bunch of headlines. Starting pitcher Sean Manaea’s two-year, $28 million deal is the only multi-year contract New York handed out this winter. But still, the Mets’ top baseball executive expects his club to be a contender.
He’s publicly stated this twice: once at his introductory press conference and again during a January 16 appearance on SNY’s Mets Hot Stove.
“We should be competing for a playoff spot,” Stearns told SNY’s Andy Martino. “We should be building a team that has the ability to make the playoffs. And that’s certainly the expectation for our team.
“I believe we’ll be able to meet that expectation. And we should have exciting baseball in September and October for our fans to be proud of.”
Steve Cohen Wants Alonso to Force His Hand With Huge Year
Stearns has been open about his desire to keep Alonso in Queens for the foreseeable future. However, he’s also said the most likely scenario is that the Scott Boras client will test the open market in November. Of course, with Steve Cohen in charge of the Mets, this hardly means MLB’s richest owner doesn’t want to put up the money it’ll take to retain his homegrown slugger.
In a preview of the club’s new official podcast, Cohen plainly stated, “We want to keep him.” That wasn’t all he said about the topic, either.
“He’s an important part of our team today and hopefully in the future,” he added. “We know the fans feel strongly about him, and I’m not tone-deaf. I totally understand the fans’ love of Pete.
“I hope he hits 55 home runs and makes it so difficult on me in free agency. I would call that a great outcome.”
Alonso’s 192 home runs since debuting in 2019 are the most in baseball. He’s entering this season tied for fourth on the Mets’ all-time home run list. FanGraphs’ Steamer projections expect another 41 homers from the first baseman in 2024.
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Mets Predicted to Send Pete Alonso to AL East Contender in Midseason Trade