The New York Mets may be sellers at the trade deadline for the second consecutive season. If this occurs, first baseman Pete Alonso might be one of many players that President of Baseball Operations David Stearns attempts to trade. Is it possible that Alonso will transfer boroughs and end 2024 with the New York Yankees?
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden identified six organizations as potential destinations for Alonso if the Mets trade him. “Pete Alonso is expected to be the biggest power bat traded at the deadline,” he stated. “The Astros, Mariners, Yankees, Giants, Cubs, and Twins are all potential destinations for the three-time All-Star. If the Mets deal Alonso, they will still make a strong effort to re-sign him this winter. “They love the Polar Bear, and he adores New York.”
Alonso’s offence has faltered at times this season, but he remains one of the game’s top power hitters. He is hitting.240/.321/.476 with 14 home runs, 16 doubles, 32 RBI, and 37 runs scored in his first 277 plate appearances.
Alonso would be a massive upgrade for the Yankees.
The Yankees are one of baseball’s finest teams this season. While they only have a 2.5-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East, their recent performance has had no bearing on this. Manager Aaron Boone’s team has won eight of its last ten games and is 47-21 for the season.
The Bombers could consider upgrading the right side of their infield before the deadline. First baseman Anthony Rizzo and second baseman Gleyber Torres have not produced as expected on the offensive side. Bowden has already raised this possibility, and he reiterated it in his June 11 article.
“The Yankees will be monitoring the right side of their infield with hopes that first baseman Anthony Rizzo (.624 OPS) and second baseman Gleyber Torres (.640) start providing more offensive production than they have over the first two-plus months of the season,” he added. “If they don’t, the Yankees will at least consider upgrading there at the deadline.”
While Alonso’s offence has failed at times, he would still be a big improvement above Rizzo’s 2024 performance. He is hitting.224/.285/.339 with seven home runs, seven doubles, 25 RBI, and 29 runs scored in 267 plate appearances.
The Yankees need to stay aggressive down the stretch.
While New York is one of the league’s best teams, their current situation makes it difficult to get comfortable. The Yankees’ 2.5-game advantage over the Orioles is the narrowest in any division as of June 11. And with Baltimore coming off a 101-win season in 2022, there’s no sign of them slowing down.
FanGraphs predicts the Yankees to win the division (73.5%) over the Orioles (26.2%). However, anything may happen in the last few months of the regular season.
The Bombers will benefit when staff ace and reigning American League Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole returns. But, obviously, the Yankees’ goal is more than just making the playoffs. The goal is to make a deep run into October and fight for the championship. Torres and Rizzo’s continued underperformance may jeopardize this goal. So it makes sense for general manager Brian Cashman to be aggressive in boosting his squad before the trade deadline.
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