The New York Mets are in the midst of an uneven season, and the team is facing some tough choices ahead of the MLB trade deadline. The Mets have looked to move infielder Pete Alonso, but that approach may be changing. New York will reportedly move Alonso if the team isn't within five games of the NL Wild Race in July, per USA Today.
The Mets have won seven of their last 10 games, and are now .500 on the season heading into action on Sunday. The team has had a roller coaster ride of a season after starting the year at 0-5.
Alonso's season in New York
Alonso has been a fan favorite in New York a long time. The first baseman is hitting .244 this season, with 17 home runs and 46 runs batted in. Alonso is on a bit of a hot-streak; the veteran posted four hits in his last five games. He has played his entire career with the Big Apple's National League team. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2019, his first in Major League Baseball. He also led MLB in home runs that season.
His batting has again helped New York charge back from the depths this season. On June 11, the team was 28-37 after losing to to the Miami Marlins. They are now 40-40 as of Sunday. Mets fans jokingly point to Grimace for the team's recent success. On June 12, Grimace threw out the opening pitch for a game, and the team has soared ever since.
Alonso's future is uncertain
Alonso is a 3-time All-Star who is reported to have attracted a lot of attention from other teams. The Seattle Mariners have long been tied to Alonso. The Boston Red Sox are another team who have been interested in Alonso, per Boston.com.
“If Boston continues this run and goes into July in full command of a playoff spot, the Red Sox absolutely should be placing a call to the Mets to gauge the possibility of getting Alonso,” MLB insider Jeff Passan said, per ESPN and reported by Boston.com. “Even though first baseman Triston Casas is expected back in early July, the Red Sox have gotten a sub-.300 weighted on-base average from the DH position. Which, regardless of the size of Masataka Yoshida’s contract, is worth addressing via upgrades like the one Alonso would provide.”
The Mets though are doing much better than they were just a month or so ago, so frankly there isn't a reason for New York to trade Alonso away. The first baseman has more than 200 home runs in his career, as well as more than 500 runs batted in. He isn't showing signs of lagging this year, despite the team's uneven play.
The Mets clearly need to keep winning games in order to stay alive in the Wild Card race. The team is currently third in the National League East standings. The team is 12.5 games behind the division leader, the Philadelphia Phillies. Five games separate New York from the Atlanta Braves for second place. Four other National League teams have a higher winning percentage at time of writing than the Mets: Los Angeles, San Diego, Milwaukee and St. Louis.
The Mets are playing the Houston Astros Sunday, in a game ongoing at time of writing.
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