Whether they admit it or not, the New York Mets have begun a fire sale of sorts. In recent days, they’ve shipped off both closer David Robertson and three-time Cy Young award winner Max Scherzer to the Miami Marlins and Texas Rangers, respectively.
During an appearance Monday on the Foul Territory podcast, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale predicted that the Mets will end their relationship with three-time All-Star (and face of the franchise) Pete Alonso during the upcoming offseason. Nightengale also said he thinks former batting champion Jeff McNeil could be on the move this winter as well.
The words on “Polar Bear” Pete are particularly shocking.
Alonso has been a fan favorite and one of the best power hitters in MLB since making his big-league debut with New York in 2019. Alonso was selected in the second round of the 2016 MLB June Amateur Draft by the club and set an MLB record for most home runs by a rookie four years ago when he led all of baseball with his 53 dingers.
He unsurprisingly won the NL Rookie of the Year that season and earned his first All-Star nod as well. After the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Alonso had another big year in 2021, before making his second All-Star team in 2022 and leading the league with 131 RBI.
Alonso made his third All-Star appearance this summer and has continued to showcase some of the rawest power in the game, while being one of the more durable players in baseball as well. He missed just one game as a rookie, three in 2020, 10 in 2021, two last year and has suited up in 97 of the 105 contests so far in 2023.
Alonso leads the Mets this year in home runs (30), RBI (75) and slugging percentage (.506).
After entering the season with enormous expectations and an equally large payroll, New York (50-55) has been a clear seller ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline. They are in fourth place in the NL East, 18 games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves (67-36) and sit 6.5 games behind the final wild-card spot.
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