If there is a person who knows a lot about baseball in New York, it's New York Post veteran columnist Jon Heyman. He sees it as a longshot, but he does predict a potential scenario in which the Mets put slugger Pete Alonso on the trade market this year, and the team mentioned as interested is the Chicago Cubs. MLBAs Opening Day is about to begin, Heyman foresees Alonso becoming a big story during the upcoming year. It won’t be easy for the Mets to trade away Alonso, especially after dealing star pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer last July, but there's wisdom to it given the difficulty that could come when trying to sign Alonso next offseason. Mets As Heyman wrote, “If the Mets don’t contend, they will have to decide whether they should trade Alonso for prospects. It’s hard to see them doing it. But it might be the smart thing to do, especially if you believe you won’t be able to sign him back. The Cubs, who are said to like Alonso, are one potential candidate to acquire him, but many teams could use a consistent 40-homer hitter.” Cubs Could Offer a Top Prospect.
In his predictions column just ahead of the start of the 2024 MLB season, Heyman foresees Alonso becoming a big story during the upcoming year. It won’t be easy for the Mets to go ahead and deal away Alonso, not after the team dumped star pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer last July, but given the difficulty that could come when trying to sign Alonso next offseason, there is some wisdom to it. team dumped star pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer last July, but given the difficulty that could come when trying to sign Alonso next offseason, there is some wisdom to it.
As Heyman wrote, “If the Mets don’t contend, they will have to decide whether they should trade Alonso for prospects. It’s hard to see them doing it. But it might be the smart thing to do, especially if you believe you won’t be able to sign him back. The Cubs, who are said to like Alonso, are one potential candidate to acquire him, but many teams could use a consistent 40-homer hitter.”: “If the Mets don’t contend, they will have to decide whether they should trade Alonso for prospects. … It’s hard to see them doing it. But it might be the smart thing to do, especially if you believe you won’t be able to sign him back. The Cubs, who are said to like Alonso, are one potential candidate to acquire him, but many teams could use a consistent 40-homer hitter.”
Cubs Could Offer a Top Prospect
Alonso is a 29-year-old three-time All-Star in the middle of his career. He has been very durable, missing only 24 games in five MLB seasons, and, more importantly, he has been very productive. Alonso led the league with 53 home runs as a rookie in 2019 and has hit 40-plus homers in each of his last two seasons. He drove in a league-high 131 runs in 2022 and batted in 118 last season, despite hitting only .217. The question for the Mets is not quite so much whether they want to keep Alonso—who wouldn’t want to have one of the best power hitters in the game locked up long term? The question is whether the rest of the team is good enough to warrant paying a player like Alonso or if they’d be better off restocking.Few teams are better positioned to help another restock with young players like the Cubs, who have the fourth-ranked farm system in baseball, according to Baseball America.
Few teams are as well-equipped as the Cubs to help another team grow with young players, as they have the fourth-best farm system in baseball, according to Baseball America.
Given the fact that Alonso is a free agent, the Cubs would likely only have to give up one of their top prospects in a deal, with another lesser player or two added. Because Alonso is a free agent, the Cubs would probably only need to give up one of their top prospects in a deal, along with a couple of lesser players.The top prospects for the Cubs, according to MLB.com, are outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, pitcher Cade Horton, outfielder Owen Caissie, infielder Michael Busch, and infielder Matt Shaw.
The best prospects for the Cubs, according to MLB.com, are outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, pitcher Cade Horton, outfielder Owen Caissie, infielder Michael Busch, and infielder Matt Shaw.
Paying Pete Alonso Could Get Tricky
However, getting Cubs owner Tom Ricketts to pay Alonso would be a challenge.
Alonso’s projected deals vary. At The Athletic, Tim Britton estimates he could get a seven-year extension from the Mets worth $190 million. At The Athletic, Tim Britton predicts Alonso could receive a seven-year extension from the Mets worth $190 million..
At Spotrac, they were predicting a nine-year, $270 million extension with the Mets going into the 2024 season, but that did not come to fruition. So, their pick is an eight-year, $225 million deal. According to Spotrac, they were predicting a nine-year, $270 million extension with the Mets going into the 2024 season, but that did not happen. So, their pick is an eight-year, $225 million deal. The Cubs’ connections to Alonso are not new. Just months ago, veteran Cubs reporter Bruce Levine noted that the North Siders had a keen interest in Alonso.
The rumor is that the Cubs are trying very hard to trade for Pete Alonso from the Mets.
Levine said on “Hit & Run with Matt Spiegel” in October. “Alonso, in the last year of a contract, obviously 46 home runs, 100 RBIs, a guy that hits the ball hard. Yes, he strikes out but who doesn’t these days? Cubs rumors are bubbling up again around Mets star Pete Alonso, with NY Post’s Jon Heyman pointing to Chicago as a trade “candidate.”
