Getty New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso
Want to give the Mets fan in your life some heartburn? Float to them the idea of Pete Alonso wearing pinstripes.
It may be far-fetched, but it’s not out of the question, according to The Athletic’s Jim Bowden. Answering questions in a Q&A on Friday, May 24, Bowden was asked to speculate about where Alonso could land if the Mets decide to sell at the trade deadline.
“Teams where Alonso could fit include the Astros, Mariners, Guardians, Twins and even the cross-town Yankees,” he wrote.
Even the cross-town Yankees.
Assuming the Yankees stay healthy, that would mean Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Alonso would comprise nearly half of the batting order.
Don’t get too excited, though, Yankees fans. For one thing, Bowden says Alonso would likely only stay in the Bronx through the end of the season. The Polar Bear will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and a return to Flushing seems likely.
“Any team interested in trading for Alonso will understand he’s just a ‘rental’ for the rest of the season and probably will re-sign with the Mets in the offseason,” Bowden wrote.
Sometimes, though, a rental is all you need to put your team over the top in a World Series hunt. The Yankees haven’t won the World Series since 2009, a 15-year “drought” that is the longest it has endured since the gap from 1978 to 1996. Yankees fans are hungry, and with Hal Steinbrenner saying the team might want to cut payroll in the offseason — and with Soto in dire need of an extension — this might be the time to pounce on another elite hitter.
How Pete Alonso Could Fit with the Yankees
It’s wild to think that, nearly two months into the season, the Yankees wouldn’t be prioritizing another starting pitcher, especially with ace Gerrit Cole still working his way back from injury. But New York’s starting rotation has been elite, led by rookie Luis Gil, who likely wouldn’t even be in the rotation if Cole were healthy.
The Yankees’ offense hasn’t been bad by any stretch. They lead the majors in home runs and OPS, while boasting the fourth-best batting average of 30 teams. First baseman Anthony Rizzo is also having himself a decent year as he bounces back from an injury that held him back in 2023.
But even if the Yankees don’t really need Alonso right now, they probably will. Stanton is fragile and Rizzo is 34. Adding someone who can DH and play first regularly while one of them sits would be ideal. If, somehow, the team stays healthy, it will require a bit of lineup Tetris on manager Aaron Boone’s part to keep everyone happy — made more difficult by Stanton seeming to be locked in as a designated hitter.
These are convenient problems to have, however, and Boone would probably be willing send Alonso out to left field with a hockey stick if it meant getting his bat into a healthy Yankees lineup.
Where the Mets Stand
Of course, this conversation is entirely contingent on the Mets deciding to sell at the trade deadline. With a 21-28 record, it would seem like that’s a good assumption to make, but they’re also just four games out of the last Wild Card spot.
Except for a six-game winning streak in mid-April, the Mets have struggled to string together wins, making that climb back to .500 difficult.
It’s not likely that the Steve Cohen will let Alonso go to the Yankees without the Bombers grossly overpaying for him, and that’s something Brian Cashman has been reluctant to do in recent years. The Yankees’ farm system isn’t exactly barren, but there’s not much MLB-ready talent that one could see them parting with.
This trade isn’t probable, but it sure is fun to think about.