The New York Mets want to incorporate another slugger, preferably an infielder. They have been linked to Alex Bregman, and of course, Pete Alonso remains an option even though the two parties are at a standoff at the moment. They know that Mark Vientos can play either infield corner and that gives them flexibility at the time of considering options.
Retaining Alonso would be the ideal scenario for the Mets, but he wants a contract that the team is just not comfortable giving away. Otherwise, he would have signed long ago.
Amid rumors that Mets owner Steve Cohen might step in and get things done with Alonso, insider Andy Martino reported that the organization fully supports President of Baseball Operations David Stearns and that they are mulling over other choices.
The name they are potentially pursuing will blow you away.
“The Mets are holding the line with Pete Alonso, and Steve Cohen fully supports David Stearns’ approach. Among many alternatives, they have checked in on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.” SNY posted on X.
The Mets could potentially pounce and trade for Guerrero
The Toronto Blue Jays are trying to compete: for two consecutive off-seasons, they have pursued elite free agents and offered them top dollar: Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto are clear examples, as is Roki Sasaki.
Despite their intentions, however, they haven’t been able to lock Guerrero up with a contract extension and are still dozens of millions apart in talks. With the player being so close to free agency, Toronto might be open to dealing him for the right package.
If the Mets’ pursuit of Alonso fails (that has been the case to this point), they might still be able to complete a blockbuster trade that nets them Guerrero.
The 2021 AL MVP runner-up had a brilliant 165 wRC+ and 5.5 fWAR this past season with Toronto. He homered 30 times and drove in 103 runs.
Guerrero would certainly look amazing in the middle of the Mets lineup, behind superstars like Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto. For now, it’s just a rumor, but one that has brought excitement into Mets fans’ hearts.