Blue Jays roster is on the verge of becoming a “what if?” version of the NY Mets

Sports fans can always ask the “what if?” in a variety of situations. If only a ball bounced a different way. Maybe history changes if a strike three wasn’t called. What if the New York Mets kept some of their past players or made some rumors come true?

Up in Ontario, the Toronto Blue Jays are on the verge of becoming a “what if?” version of the Mets. Rumors of them being a destination for Pete Alonso and Max Scherzer swirling like Charybdis, their Bizarro take on the Mets goes beyond just the potential addition of one or both of those players.

The Blue Jays roster is starting to resemble one the Mets might have had a few years ago if things went differently

Let’s say the Blue Jays do sign Alonso and Scherzer. The two were teammates for a year and a half in 2022 and 2023. They could have just as easily been playing on the same field as former Mets infielder Andres Gimenez. If the Francisco Lindor trade never happened, he’d be someone who could have grown into becoming the everyday shortstop or second baseman. The Blue Jays picked him up in a trade earlier this offseason with the Cleveland Guardians.

The Blue Jays continue to employ Chris Bassitt who we remember from the 2022 Mets. Yet another player with ties to Queens, the rest of the crew come from speculative rumors about the team.

Before he signed with the Blue Jays, we were told to bet the family farm George Springer would sign with the Mets. Hopefully you didn’t. The Mets decided to invest bigger at shortstop instead with the aforementioned Lindor trade.

Only a half-year after losing the family farm, the Blue Jays acquired Jose Berrios in a trade with the Minnesota Twins. He was an often speculated trade target for the Mets at the time. Instead of him, the Mets went smaller at the deadline by adding Rich Hill to the rotation. 

Finally, there’s Kevin Gausman who turned down more money from the Mets to sign with the Blue Jays. This came shortly before the Scherzer signing. Odds are the Mets wouldn’t have had both together on the same roster or at least not those two plus Bassitt.

It’s easy to forget how connected the Mets and Blue Jays are in terms of personnel. And yet, especially if Alonso ends up there, several of the club’s best first basemen have played for both clubs. John Olerud and Carlos Delgado were Blue Jays before they were Mets. Many fans are hoping Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could do the same.

One final added twist you might have missed, former Mets GM Zack Scott revealed back in October that if the Mets didn’t trade for Lindor it would have been the Blue Jays he ended up with.

Steve Cohen’s mission was to become the Dodgers East. Did the Blue Jays plan to put together a parallel universe Mets club?