4 NY Mets offseason whiffs we wish they made hard contact with

4) Not replacing Pete Alonso with Kyle Schwarber

Was Kyle Schwarber ever going to really leave the Philadelphia Phillies for the Mets? Considering the contract he received, 5 years and $150 million, it was a bit out of range for what the Mets’ intentions are. The dollars aren’t the big part. It’s that five-year commitment to a DH that probably scared them off. For $10 million less per season with added defensive usage and 3 fewer years, they’re probably satisfied with Polanco at the moment.

Schwarber could have been a doubly-good move by the Mets. Stealing him from the Phillies helps in the NL East standings as much as it would adding him to their roster. Alas, the popular Philly slugger remains in place for another half-decade.

There was only ever one slugger the Mets could have possibly pivoted to while moving on from Alonso. Eugenio Suarez is still out there with some immense pop, but it doesn’t seem so likely. Other clubs have been rumored to have interest. On the Mets, he makes more sense at first base. Other teams would have a need at third base for him right now. Consider a runner-up in the Alex Bregman sweepstakes, or a team not willing to pay Bregman a lot of dough, as a better match for him.

Under Steve Cohen, there’s always a thought of “why not both?” when it comes to massive free agents. The Mets could have, if they wanted to, retained Alonso and added Schwarber. It’s just money, right? They have neither and we’re all confused who’s going to replace the home runs.