Mets showing trade interest in star first baseman

The New York Mets have their eyes on a trade for a potential Pete Alonso replacement.

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

There's a lot of intrigue around how the New York Mets are going to replace Pete Alonso on the roster next season after Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles earlier this month.

It's nearly impossible to replace the offensive production of a guy who has hit at least 34 home runs in every full single season of his MLB career and has produced at least 118 RBIs in four of his six full seasons. Not to mention that Alonso was the perfect guy to have behind Juan Soto in the lineup because he forced opposing teams to pitch to Soto.

Read more: Mets' spree of signing ex-Yankees stars predicted to continue

One way the Mets are hoping to atone for no Alonso in the lineup is through Jorge Polanco, who they signed to a two-year, $40 million deal a few days after the Alonso news broke. While part of the plan is to play Polanco (who has experience at multiple infield positions) to play first base, the hard truth is that he barely has any first base experience and is a below-average defender, which goes against what David Stearns wanted to do this offseason.

This suggests that the Mets may not be done adding another potential replacement for Alonso, both in the field and in the lineup.

Sep 27, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) celebrates his solo home run against the Miami Marlins in the third inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

New York Mets Have Eyes in Willson Contreras

It appears that the Mets' front office has one potential Alonso replacement already in mind: St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch revealed in a December 19 article that Contreras has "drawn" interest from the Mets in a potential trade.

The article also noted that Contreras has a full no-trade clause, but that he'd be willing to accept a deal to a team or city that "is agreeable to his family", despite his preference to remain with the Cardinals.

Contreras is coming off a 2025 season where he hit .257 with a .791 OPS, 20 home runs, and 80 RBIs in 135 games played. The 33-year-old began his MLB career as a catcher with the Chicago Cubs but has since transitioned over to first base.

#NYMets continue to look into whether Willson Contreras is a fit for them. Relief market is moving, teams interested in JoJo Romero are surfacing.

Plus, Dustin May -- all 6-foot-6 foot of him -- describes what he meant by living in a '3-foot world.'https://t.co/s5yob6fgyx

— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) December 19, 2025

Contreras has proven to be a consistent threat at the plate, as the 2025 season was the first time he had less than an .815 OPS since the 2021 season. He would have a ton of sense at first base for the Mets, especially if they didn't need to part with any of their top prospects to finalize a trade.

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