New York Mets Linked To Hypothetical Slugger-For-Slugger Deal
The New York Mets have new management and decisions to make when it comes to key players, none more prominent than first baseman Pete Alonso.
Alonso is in his final arbitration year and estimates have him getting $22 million as part of the process. New Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns appears to be keeping all options open when it comes to his star first baseman.
Those options could include a trade, and MLB.com put a scenario together that has the Mets giving up one Home Run Derby champion for another.
This blockbuster deal would have the Mets sending Alonso and infielder Jeff McNeil to the Toronto Blue Jays for first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and pitcher Alek Manoah.
It’s an awfully interesting proposal.
Alonso is almost guaranteed power. In his five Major League seasons Alonso is a three-time All-Star, former National League Rookie of the Year and has 192 home runs, including a MLB-leading 53 his rookie season in 2019.
But he’s only under the Mets’ control for one more season. Guerrero has two years of team control ahead of him. He has 130 home runs in five seasons at the MLB level, including his AL-leading 48 home runs in 2021. That year he finished second in MLB voting.
So, the Mets and Blue Jays would trade power-for-power and similar arbitration costs. The Blue Jays would get more flexibility out of the deal as Alonso has one more year of control. The Blue Jays can also offer Alonso a contending team right now.
The other two players are just as intriguing, writes MLB.com:
Two players coming off disappointing 2023 seasons would also be involved in this swap. The Mets could try to put Manoah back together after all his difficulties last season, and the Blue Jays would employ McNeil as the versatile infielder they need to replace Whit Merrifield.
The Mets would be giving up Alonso’s steadiness for Guerrero’s perceived upside and taking on a project on Manoah, who basically fell apart in 2023 after finishing third in Cy Young voting in 2022.
It’s a blockbuster with risk for both sides.
