Jul 28, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) reacts after grounding out to end the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
MLB: Washington Nationals at New York Mets
(New York) — Pete Alonso is one of the lone remaining bright spots for the New York Mets.
For now.
Multiple rival clubs expect the Mets to entertain the idea of trading the star first baseman after this season, according to Michael Marino of fantrax.com.
Alonso is a free agent after 2024 and the belief is as of right now, the two sides aren’t close regarding a potential extension to keep him in New York.
The Mets entered this year with great expectations after a 101-win season but are now waving the white flag amid a lost season that sees the team six games back in the National League wild-card race.
But now it appears the Mets are willing to tank past just next year’s’ campaign, apparently.
“I talked to Billy. I was like, ‘OK, are we reloading for 2024?’ He goes, ‘No, we’re not,” Max Scherzer told Ken Rosenthal after he was traded to the Texas Rangers. “Basically, our vision now is for 2025-2026, ’25 at the earliest, more like ’26. We’re going to be making trades around that.”
“I was like, ‘So the team is not going to be pursuing free agents this offseason or assemble a team that can compete for a World Series next year?’ He said, ‘No, we’re not going to be signing the upper-echelon guys. We’re going to be on the smaller deals within free agency. ’24 is now looking to be more of a kind of transitory year.'”
After the Scherzer trade, Mets GM Billy Eppler insisted the team was not undergoing a fire sale – but that certainly appears to be the case.
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY SportsIn a text to The Post’s Steve Cohen, the owner admitted the Mets are looking beyond next season.
“We will be competitive in ’24, but I think ’25-’26 is when our young talent makes an impact,” Cohen wrote. “Lots of pitching in free agency in ’24. More payroll flexibility in ’25. Got a lot of dead money in ’24.”
Back to Alonso – he told reporters Tuesday that the front office hasn’t said anything to him about being traded.
“Regardless of our personnel, we’re going to try to win every single game. I can’t necessarily worry about the team philosophy because it’s just in my DNA as a player – every time I’m written in the lineup, I’m doing whatever I can to win the game”
If Alonso is moved next offseason or next year, it would be a massive blow to a team that figured to have him as a big part of their future. The 28-year-old has swatted 30 home runs to go along with 75 RBI and a .819 OPS.
You almost have to give the Mets credit. Just eight months after setting a new MLB record for payroll, the team has already managed to blow the entire operation up.
