Since debuting in 2019, all Mets first baseman Pete Alonso has done is hit home runs and collect RBI at a prodigious rate. New York has never seen a homegrown player display this kind of power, so you’d imagine they’d want to keep him around for the long haul, right?
Not so much, says USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale. In his latest notebook, he’s reporting the Mets are “expected” to trade the right-handed slugger this winter:
All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso is expected to be traded by the New York Mets this winter, several executives insist, after conversations with the Mets.
The Mets have informed teams that anyone that isn’t under contract after 2024 will be available, and they have not come close to reaching a contract extension with Alonso in past years. He’s a free agent after the 2024 season.
“The fact that they had every opportunity to sign this guy, and didn’t, speaks volumes about his future,’’ one NL GM said.
This isn’t the first time Nightengale has been trying to push the idea of New York trading Alonso this winter. He’s reporting on what he’s heard from sources, but as always, we have to take this stuff with a grain of salt.
What’s telling about what he said above is that his sources are all very clearly outside of the organization. We don’t know how much of a game general manager Billy Eppler tried to play while selling off at the trade deadline. He’s not going to tip his hand on what exactly he wants to do to other executives.
Is it possible the Mets end up trading Alonso this winter? Well, of course it is. He’s not signed to a long-term deal. The level of New York’s competitiveness in 2024 is also up for debate.
We’ll have to just wait and see what happens. But, it’s hard for me to envision the Mets trading away a lineup anchor like Alonso. Hitting 40 homers with 100-plus RBI just about every year isn’t easy to do. He’s also the only guy in New York’s current lineup who can do that at a consistent rate.
This all sounds like semantics so far. We hadn’t heard anything about Alonso’s contract status until a week before the trade deadline. Now, we’ve heard bits and pieces at least two or three times. Sounds like someone is trying to create leverage for early-winter extension negotiations. But that could just be the optimist in me.
Let’s not forget about Brandon Nimmo’s free agency, either. Reports made it sound like his time in New York was all but done. And then about an hour later, he agreed to an eight-year deal with the Mets. Things can change very quickly in these scenarios. It also depends on if Eppler remains in charge of the front office. After all, it may be David Stearns’ show soon.
For now, we’ll just have to file away these reports and rumors and revisit them once the final out of the World Series is recorded this fall.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
