Getty Pete Alonso
After a disappointing (and expensive) 2023 season, the New York Mets went into 2024 with a lot to prove, but after two months of play, the team’s hopes of a playoff campaign are growing increasingly unlikely. As of June 2, the Mets are fourth in the NL East with a record of 24-35, and according to the New York Post’s Bob Nightengale, the team “could be the epicenter of the trade deadline with a handful of their prized players expected to be dealt.”
“They haven’t begun yet,” Nightengale wrote on June 2, “but [the Mets] will soon shop first baseman Pete Alonso, DH J.D. Martinez, starters Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana, relievers Adam Ottavino, Jake Diekman and Reed Garrett, infielder Jeff McNeil and outfielders Harrison Bader and Starling Marte.”
With An Extension Unlikely, ‘The Mets Would Be Wise to Trade Alonso’ at the Deadline
Alonso has played his entire MLB career in New York, having been selected by the Mets in the second round of the 2016 draft and making his major-league debut in 2019. A fan-favorite player whose name has become synonymous with the Mets franchise, it’s jarring to think of Alonso suiting up in any other team’s jersey, but with free agency looming and no agreement on a contract extension, a midseason trade is becoming more and more likely.
According to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman on May 18, the Mets offered Alonso a seven-year, $158 million extension in June 2023, but “the sides never got close to a deal,” and the Mets turned to discussing trade options, including with the Chicago Cubs. Should he become a free agent at the end of 2024, Sportrac predicts Alonso would land a deal in the 8-year, $263 million range.
On February 7, amidst rumors that a trade could be on the table before Opening Day, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns told the Foul Territory podcast that he’d would like to keep Alonso in New York after 2024.
“Pete’s a really good player, he’s performed on a big stage here for a long time,” Stearns said. “I know that, we all know that, I know how important he is to our fan base… We’re certainly invested in trying to keep Pete a Met and I’m hopeful that over time we’ll be able to work that out.”
It’s now four months later and there are no reports of the Mets and Alonso getting any closer to a contract extension. Instead, Nightengale reported on June 2 that the Mets will be shopping the 29-year-old before the deadline, and if the team isn’t planning to dig deep on an extension, getting a trade return now makes a lot of sense.
“The Mets would be wise to trade Alonso, considering that if Alonso departs as a free agent, they would receive only a fourth-round draft pick as compensation since they’re over the highest luxury tax threshold.”
Mets Could Make Slew of Top Players Available for Trade
While Alonso is undeniably the headliner of the Mets’ potential trade chips, the list of players expected to be made available at the deadline is impressive.
In his 14th major-league season, designated hitter Martinez is batting .279 with an OPS of .812, 5 home runs, and 15 RBIs. He signed a one-year, $12 million contract with the Mets on March 23, meaning he will enter free agency for the third consecutive offseason at the end of 2024, but he’s still likely to garner interest as a rental player at the deadline.
Starting pitcher Severino is another player on a one-year deal with the Mets, and with so many contending teams needing rotation depth before the playoffs, he’s a strong trade chip for New York. In 64 innings this season, Severino has posted a 3.52 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with 54 strikeouts, holding his opponents to a .203 batting average.
Nightengale also listed pitchers Manaea (3.63 ERA) and Quintana (5.17 ERA) as potential movers at the deadline, and while the former is likely to draw attention, the latter may be a harder sell after a rough start to the season.