Mets Trade Rumors: Here's Why A Pete Alonso Trade Is Realistic This Summer

The New York Mets are nothing if not consistent this season: consistently in and around the .500 mark. As a .500 team in the tough NL East, a playoff spot is not very likely. That will mean that the Mets will have some very difficult decisions to make come the trade deadline in July.

Slugger and franchise face Pete Alonso will become a free agent after the 2024 season and trade rumours have already been circulating for months. The only extension offer this past winter was for 7 years and $158 million, and all one needs to do is to take a look at who Pete Alonso sends his agency commission checks to, to understand why that didn't cut the mustard.

Yes, Scott Boras represents Alonso, and he will never let his players sign an extension before finding out what the free market establishes as their value (of course, that backfired on him and several clients this past offseason, but that's another story for another day.)

In an mlb.com poll, rival executives pegged Alonso as the second-most-likely star player to get traded this season, behind only a two-time World Series champion.

So why is a Mets trade of Alonso possible this summer?

The Pros:

Alonso is obviously the Mets' biggest trade piece, if they decide to go that route. He would immediately turn some fringe contender into a serious one. And the return in any deal would be a nice haul of prospects for the Mets.

As well, since they know he's going to free agency after the season anyway, owner Steve Cohen can open the vault and beat any other offer, including from the team that acquires Alonso in a trade.

The Cons:

He's an extremely popular player amongst the Mets fanbase. As one rival executive told mlb.com, there's always the possibility that if the Mets trade Polar Bear, he could go into hibernation on them this winter:

“If a contender is looking to add a power bat, Alonso could be the best one available,” said the AL executive. “The only question is whether the Mets... (might) think trading him will fracture the relationship leading up to free agency.”

Should the Mets trade Pete Alonso if they're .500 at the deadline? #MLBNowShowdown | @Joelsherman1 pic.twitter.com/CE8UiVovyL
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) May 10, 2024