The Mets’ hearth sale may have been even hotter, as a brand new report says the Milwaukee Brewers pushed laborious to amass star slugger Pete Alonso earlier than the commerce deadline.
A supply linked to the Brewers stated a commerce got here inside “field-goal range,” whereas an official with the Mets stated a deal by no means got here that shut, in line with The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. The Chicago Cubs have been reportedly among the many different groups that spoke with the Mets in regards to the first baseman.
The report additional fuels hypothesis about the way forward for Alonso, who can turn into a free agent after the 2024 season.
“I love representing this organization,” Alonso said Tuesday in response to the report. “Being a Met is the only thing I know. … I don’t know what the future holds but right now I’m a Met and I love being a Met.”
The underachieving Mets, who entered 2023 with the very best payroll in MLB historical past, unloaded key veterans earlier than the Aug. 1 deadline to retool their farm system with a watch towards the long run.
Sending 39-year-old Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers introduced again high minor-league prospect Luisangel Acuna, whereas buying and selling 40-year-old Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros netted touted younger outfielders Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford. The Mets additionally acquired prospects for relievers David Robertson and Dominic Leone, outfielders Mark Canha and Tommy Pham and infielder Eduardo Escobar.
Trading Alonso — who, at 28, is within the prime of his profession — would have meant shifting on from the face of the franchise. The Mets may prolong Alonso this offseason or entertain commerce presents earlier than he performs out his remaining 12 months of group management.
“Generally with clubs that are going to go through a rebuild, you have to endure five, six, seven years of losing, and we don’t have the appetite for that,” Mets common supervisor Billy Eppler stated late final month after buying and selling Robertson and Scherzer however earlier than he despatched away Verlander. “We’re not gonna do that. What we want to do is use [owner Steve Cohen’s] investment and enhance this farm system and get us to our larger goal.”
Eppler declined remark to The Athletic on its Alonso report.
Shortly after his commerce, Scherzer stated he was advised the Mets have been open to shifting gamers whose contracts ended after the 2023 or 2024 seasons.
“I talked to Billy,” Scherzer advised The Athletic a number of weeks in the past. “I was like, ‘OK, are we reloading for 2024?’ He goes, ‘No, we’re not. Basically our vision now is for 2025-2026, ‘25 at the earliest, more like ‘26. We’re going to be making trades around that.’”
The Scherzer commerce shocked Alonso, who helped lead the Mets to 101 wins in 2022.
“Honestly, shocked,” Alonso advised reporters on the time. “Max wasn’t around the clubhouse and I didn’t really see him around today, so that’s when I knew it was like, ‘Oh man, this is legit. This isn’t just, like, clickbait.’ … It’s a loss for us for sure.”
Alonso, a three-time All-Star whom the Mets drafted in 2016, entered Wednesday with a team-leading 39 residence runs. His 53 residence runs in 2019 stay an MLB rookie file, whereas his 131 RBI final 12 months set a brand new single-season mark for the Mets.
Other high first baseman to obtain massive contracts lately embody Freddie Freeman, who signed a six-year, $162 million take care of the Dodgers earlier than the 2022 season, and Matt Olson, who obtained an eight-year, $168 million pact after the Braves traded for him that offseason.
An enormous payday is ultimately coming for Alonso, too. What stays to be seen is from whom.
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com