According to SNY baseball insider Andy Martino, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, who was hired by the organization in October, initially had no intention of trading superstar first baseman Pete Alonso.
However, Stearns and the Mets are now under the impression that trading Alonso at the trade deadline would not hurt their chances of re-signing him in free agency.
Alonso is set to hit the open market following the regular season and has been a franchise cornerstone for the Mets since making his big-league debut in 2019.
Stearns’ predecessor, general manager Billy Eppler, who was forced to resign in October for manipulating the injured list, which came with a penalty of a one-year suspension by MLB, fielded calls from other teams regarding Alonso’s availability last summer, but talks never progressed with any club and the Mets held onto their star.
The Mets are in a similar boat as 2023, where they are not in the mix for a playoff spot.
Last year, this led to a sell-off of high-priced veterans such as future Hall of Fame starting pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.
New York took the wise approach at the time by dealing their stars in exchange for top prospects, which saw them net exciting youngsters such as Luisangel Acuna, Ryan Clifford and Drew Gilbert.
This trio currently holds three out of five spots on the Mets’ Top 30 prospects list.
