New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso could be the biggest name dealt at the MLB trade deadline. The slugger is an unrestricted free agent after the season and has not performed to his career averages this year. Alonso's OPS of .767 is his lowest ever and below his career OPS by 89 points. Despite that, the Mets are in the thick of the Wild Card race. Alonso spoke honestly with The Athletic about the pressure of the looming trade deadline.
“I think I’ve been handling everything very well,” Alonso said before Sunday's game. “Obviously doing the best I can; there’s a lot of baseball left, and not just as a team but personally as well. With my process and how I’ve approached everything, I’ve felt like I’ve been myself and that is all I can ask for. Me just being the best version of myself is just what’s best for the club.”
The decision on whether or not to deal Alonso is rapidly approaching. With now just nine games remaining before the deadline after Sunday's loss to the Marlins, the Mets might be making the decision on the field as opposed to in the front office. While he says he is not feeling the pressure, Alonso admits it's a very important stretch.
“These 10 games are going to create more clarity and perspective to see where the season is going, and not just for us but for the vast majority of the National League,” Alonso continued. “Ten games is a double-edged sword. It’s a short amount of time and a long amount of time. These games are really important.”
The case for the Mets trading Pete Alonso
Fangraphs gives the Mets just a 37.5% chance to make the playoffs and a 1.7% chance of winning the World Series. Trading Pete Alonso will certainly bring those numbers down but even with him in the fold, the Mets' chances are slim. With an Alonso trade, the Mets will add great value to their pipeline and make future teams much better.
When they dealt Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander at the 2023 MLB trade deadline, the Mets paid off large chunks of their salaries to get better prospects. They could do the same with Alonso and add pieces around the diamond. There is also the chance that the Mets and Alonso reunite this offseason after a trade. Alonso has continued to say he wants to be a Met for the long term and he can be while still helping the team by heading to a contender before July 30.
The case against trading Alonso
The Mets have the biggest payroll in baseball and have star players up and down the lineup. To add a difference-making player like Juan Soto this offseason, they do not need to trade Alonso. They are no longer being treated like a small-market team that needs to be built through prospects and that increases the chance they take this risk. The Verlander and Scherzer situations last year were different as they were older players who were starting to show their age. Alonso, despite his struggles, is still just 29 years old and can certainly put together a bounce-back second half and get the Mets a Wild Card spot in the NL.
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