3 last-minute NY Mets trades to pursue while we wait for the Pete Alonso conclusion

These trades have absolutely nothing to do with Pete Alonso. It’s hard to discuss much about the New York Mets these days without him somehow being involved. His presence on the team or not can completely alter the way we think about the lineup. It can’t possibly be an opportunity for the young kids to figure it all out. The limbo stick of expectations rose after last season.

While we await the stunning conclusion of the Alonso saga, these three trade candidates are worth calling about.

1) Michael King

Michael King trade discussions are going on. It’s no surprise. He is one of a handful of players who didn’t come to terms on a new deal and could be headed to arbitration in the coming weeks. Set to hit free agency after this year, King is one of several players the San Diego Padres have considered moving in order to relieve themselves of some payroll. He’ll get a contract worth less than fellow pitcher Dylan Cease and infielder Luis Arraez, making him less necessary to send away in their minds.

Mets fans know the name well for his time with the New York Yankees. Never given a full chance to excel in the rotation, King was an excellent reliever in the Bronx for three of his seasons. He ended up in the package to acquire Juan Soto from the Padres. Given his chance to finally start regularly, he had an ace-like season that earned him seventh-place in the NL Cy Young race.

At 13-9 with a 2.95 ERA, the Padres yet again seemed to replicate the same success of taking a pitcher from New York and turning him into a starter. The last one was, of course, our beloved Seth Lugo.

The cost of King might oddly even be higher than Cease despite having a shorter resume as a successful starter simply because of his projected salary via arbitration. If the Mets acquired him, it might not be the worst thing to immediately tack on an extension of some kind.