Pete Alonso Exit Opens Door To New Cardinals Trade Suitor: Mets

The St. Louis Cardinals have plenty of trade chips on their hands. Although they didn't get a deal done during the winter meetings, that doesn't mean the deals that did get done, won't impact the team.

The biggest moves of the winter meetings were Kyle Schwarber signing with the Philadelphia Phillies and Pete Alonso leaving the New York Mets to sign with the Baltimore Orioles. With Alonso off the market, St. Louis reportedly has a new potential trade partner. MLB.com's John Denton reported that the Mets have shown interest in St. Louis first baseman Willson Contreras after losing Alonso.

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"When told on Wednesday that one baseball executive described MLB trade talks moving at a 'glacial' pace, Cardinals president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom furled his face and openly balked," Denton wrote. "'That’s not how it has felt to me,' Bloom said, as transcribed by Denton. 'To some degree, it’s binary -- either you have something or you don’t. Right now, we don’t.'

The Cardinals have an intriguing slugger on their hands still

Sep 15, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras (40) celebrates after hitting a RBI single against the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images | Joe Puetz-Imagn Images

"A Cardinals club in the beginning stages of a full-on rebuild left Orlando on Wednesday without a trade being made, but it certainly wasn’t because of a lack of trying. With the Cardinals already fielding several calls about Donovan and Romero, they were queried by the Mets with interest in Contreras, per a source, after first baseman Pete Alonso left for the Orioles in free agency."

Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat followed up with a similar report to Denton.

"Off the plane from Orlando and am able to second John Denton’s report that the Cardinals and Mets have had discussions about Willson Contreras in the wake of Pete Alonso’s departure," Jones wrote.

The Athletic's Katie Woo reported before the winter meetings that Contreras has now become more open to the idea of a trade. The Mets are a contender, although nothing has gotten done, as of writing.

If the Cardinals want to flip Contreras, there is a team with a clear need at first base now in New York.

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