NEW YORK — With the New York Mets stumbling through the first third of the season, the question of Pete Alonso’s future, the biggest storyline around the club, has changed to reflect the struggles of the times.
The question for so long was: Will Alonso re-sign with the Mets after the season?
The question now is: Will Alonso be traded within two months?
Advertisement
“We’re still a long ways away,” Alonso told The Athletic before the Mets’ game Sunday. “We have at least two months. That’s a lot of time. That’s a lot of games left. It’s not like the trade deadline is 10 days away. So I feel like there’s plenty of time for us to make up ground and then also really showcase who we are as a team and what our potential can be.”
Alonso said thoughts of the trade deadline have not crept into his mind. Similarly, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said in his most recent public comments that the front office has yet to discuss their strategy for the trade deadline.
But with the Mets (21-30) losing five straight and dropping 12 of their past 15 games during a rough month of May, everyone else is already thinking about it and talking about it — especially when it comes to Alonso.
The trade deadline is July 30. But nothing stops teams from making moves a lot sooner than that date. And across the league, teams typically start seriously evaluating their personnel around Memorial Day weekend, which is now.
The Mets have several players on expiring contracts who could be trade candidates — Luis Severino, J.D. Martinez and Jose Quintana are some of them — but no one stands out like Alonso. The first baseman is a homegrown star, but he’s 29 at a position that doesn’t always see sluggers age gracefully. Those dynamics make for a truly compelling case.
“The only thing I can control is my attitude and my play; I can’t really control those decisions,” Alonso said. “But for me, I love this place. I love putting on the uniform. This place is obviously very special to me. But the only thing I can control is my effort level on a day-to-day basis and how I can impact the game on the field.”
Alonso entered Sunday with 12 home runs and a .234/.308/.468 slash line. His 126 OPS+ is up slightly from last year (124 OPS+). Alonso slumped during the first week of May but has turned things on since. Despite the Mets’ cold stretch, Alonso is slashing .281/.333/.516 with three home runs over the past 15 games.
Advertisement
Alonso said the Mets can change the outside narrative about the club by reeling off some wins. Realistically, though, the team probably has just a couple of weeks to turn things around before the front office must consider making some hard decisions.
“The biggest way to solve it is to go out there and make it happen between the lines,” Alonso said. “That’s really it. Yeah, we haven’t been playing well. But the only way to solve it is to win.”
The Mets haven’t looked sharp in any facet recently. Their offense has been inconsistent. Their bullpen has been leaking. Their defense has been lacking. They’ve missed top starter Kodai Senga. Closer Edwin Díaz’s struggles have led to a handful of losses. They are not sure who their third baseman is. Their core players — beyond Alonso, there’s Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil — have underachieved. The list can go on, and it has prompted questions about next year, too.
How far along are the Mets, really? It appears to be an appropriate question for future free agents like Alonso.
“We got a great number of prospects, a great number of young kids,” Alonso said. “If you look at Brett (Baty), (Francisco Alvarez), Christian Scott, Mark (Vientos) … those are some great young guys who are going to be great big leaguers for a really long time. And I know that we got plenty of great arms, great position players coming up at the upper levels. Prospect-wise, we’re in really great hands.”
Alonso went on.
“Obviously, we have one of the better shortstops from 2015 on, this era,” he said about Lindor. “His numbers, his accomplishments, that’s a rare talent. You just don’t see that every day. And he’s going to be here. Nim’s going to be here for a long time. He is just a phenomenal overall player; he can hit, play defense, run the bases — he’s got tools. Senga is here; what he proved last year, he’s a top-line ace. Also, we got some older guys like Tylor Megill, (David Peterson), who can throw the ball really well.
Advertisement
“I mean, we always have a chance. Also, having Steve (Cohen, the Mets owner) willing to spend money, and let’s say we get different free agents or so … we always have a chance. It’s just a matter of proving it between the lines.”
For Alonso and the Mets, the trade deadline may still be two months away, but the urgency and questions are here early.
(Top photo of Pete Alonso: Mike Stobe / Getty Images)