Former GM shared a NY Mets-Cardinals trade idea for reinvented 3-time All-Star

Zack Scott has become a voice on SNY in recent years with a unique insight into the game. The New York Mets General Manager for the 2021 season, he had a trade idea in response to one of the common themes David Stearns spoke about during his press conference on Monday.

Two common topics came up regularly. One involved Pete Alonso. Another was what the team could do to become better. Re-signing Alonso doesn’t improve them, as necessary as it may feel.

Scott put his GM hat on once more. Spitballing without much thought, you proposed a trade between the Mets and St. Louis Cardinals.

This Mets-Cardinals trade does seem to meet what both teams hope to do

Willson Contreras moved from behind the plate to first base full-time this past year. Scott wasn’t kidding when he said Contreras had a good year on defense. His 6 Outs Above Average was tied for fifth among all first basemen. Alonso was at -9 OAA which was second worst among qualified players at the position.

The word “run prevention” came from Stearns’ lips multiple times on Monday. He discussed both pitching and defense as a way to combat how poor the Mets were in this area. Alonso might not be as bad defensively at first base as some of the numbers say, but many of his errors have become costly.

Contreras isn’t near the power hitter Alonso is. This past year he hit 20 home runs and drove in 80 runs with a slash line of .257/.344/.447. The year prior, in only 84 games, he did manage to swat 15 home runs. Plenty of time at DH might have helped keep him fresher offensively.

Contractually, Contreras is owed $18 million this coming year and $18.5 million in 2027. There’s a $17.5 million team option for 2028. It’s significantly less than any AAV Alonso will receive. The question is if the Cardinals would have any interest in Mark Vientos.

It’s safe to believe they’d have little interest in Vientos at third base on a regular basis even if they did trade Nolan Arenado. Vientos would be an automatic replacement for Contreras costing far less. He’d join a young lineup of players who underachieved this past year. Putting it this way, he’d fit right in.

Free agency will offer the Mets a few other quality defenders. Ryan O’Hearn is someone who had a good defensive season with a strong year at the plate. Free agency has been Stearns’ main approach since joining the Mets and, based on the results of the trades, far better strategy. It would do little to satisfy the fans who seem reluctant to let Alonso walk, as we should.