Freshly revealed NY Mets rumors are worth repeating to improve lineup's biggest flaw

Given Pete Alonso's contract desires, it seems as if the Polar Bear and the New York Mets are in line for another long winter stare-down. After a stronger 2025 campaign, Alonso is looking for a deal that will take him through the end of his career, or close to it.

However, the same reasons that gave the Mets pause last time around still exist. Typically speaking, first base mashers on massive contracts just don't age well. There's more nuance to the debate, however. First base isn't the only hole that the Mets need to fill, and there are other issues with the lineup's construction that need to be addressed.

With that, alternatives to Alonso need to be strongly considered and one who could fit the bill for multiple reasons is Yandy Diaz of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Yandy Diaz is the perfect Mets' alternative to Pete Alonso for three main reasons

The Mets have had prior interest in Diaz dating back to the trade deadline. At the time, Diaz would have been primarily a DH, with maybe the occasional third base rep, though his glove isn't really a fit at the hot corner at this point in his career. That was due to the presence of Alonso, and as a result, the fit was an awkward one.

But with Alonso out of the way, the things that Diaz can bring to the table as a first baseman begin to make a lot of sense. While Alonso is the bigger name with the flashy home run totals, the offensive gap between the two is nearly non-existent.

For his career, Alonso owns a 132 wRC+, and Diaz is right there nipping at his heels with a 131 mark. If we want to take more recent history into account, one could argue that Diaz has been the better hitter. His average wRC+ from 2023-2025 is 139 versus 127 for Alonso. That might seem strange, but there's a reason why.

Diaz isn't known for his power, but that doesn't mean he's devoid of it. However, it's his hit tool that makes him valuable. Diaz is a .290 career hitter and is coming off a season in which he batted an even .300. That gets into the second point, the flaws that exist in the Mets' lineup.

With three Silver Slugger nominees, one of which being Alonso, the Mets have a powerful lineup, but it is uneven and top-heavy. The biggest issue holding it back is a lack of consistent contact. With hitters like Francisco Alvarez, Mark Vientos, and Brett Baty getting regular at-bats, there's plenty of swing-and-miss as they all have something of an all-or-nothing approach. Diaz, meanwhile, is contact-focused, with just a 14.1% strikeout rate in 2025.

Stringing hits together was at times a major issue for the Mets, whose collective .249 batting average ranked 14th in the majors. As the Toronto Blue Jays, who led the league with a .265 average, have shown, being able to consistently make contact is crucial, especially in October.

The last point is financial. Diaz counts just $12 million against the luxury tax in 2026. He has a conditional club option for $10 million in 2027, which converts to a vesting $13 million option for 2027. That leaves a decent chunk of change left over to invest in the rotation, the bullpen, and possibly center field.

There's another reason why this is important. While Steve Cohen has some of the deepest pockets in baseball, it's questionable how much longer the Mets can continue spending at their current level. The club reinvested 90% its 2024 revenue into 2025's payroll and luxury tax obligations. At a certain point, that level of spending isn't sustainable, and the easy answer isn't to earn more revenue; it is to reduce payroll.

To that end, a contact-oriented and significantly cheaper first baseman with similar overall offensive performance to Pete Alonso that is on a short-term contract is the best logical decision. The player who best fits that bill is Yandy Diaz.