Don’t believe everything you hear. While David Stearns introduced himself to New York Mets fans as the President of Baseball Operations, he brushed aside the Pete Alonso trade rumors with some “GM speak.” It has been widely reported how interested other teams were in acquiring Alonso at this summer’s trade deadline. We shouldn’t expect those rumors to disappear so quickly.
What are the odds the Mets actually trade Alonso? My heart tells me none. My head tells me Wayne Gretzky. In the right deal, anyone can be traded.
One of the teams reportedly interested in Alonso was Stearns’ former employer, the Milwaukee Brewers. If those talks resume, the Mets need to demand at least one of these players in return for their powerful first baseman.
1) Jackson Chourio
Jackson Chourio is one of those guys Brewers fans are going to hate to see subtracted from the system. That’s the price you pay for a proven MLB slugger. The 19-year-old had a huge year spent mostly in Double-A with a few sips of coffee in Triple-A before the season ended. He smashed 22 home runs, stole 44 bases, and did so with a .283/.338/.467 slash line. He also happens to play the premium position of center field.
Chourio is considered the number two prospect in all of baseball which puts him out of reach for the Mets if all they’re sending to Milwaukee is Alonso, right? Because the Polar Bear is free agent eligible after the 2024 season and Chourio already has a major league ETA for next year, this would have to be a trade filled with multiple pieces. The Brewers would need at least one more win-now type of player or major prospect in the deal. The Mets would probably like to have a more controllable piece or two in the deal as well.
Pulling Chourio away from Milwaukee easily won’t happen considering their typically lower-than-average payroll. Future superstars like him will be needed in order to allow them to compete with a club like the Mets who can buy anything they’d want.
Chourio isn’t going to happen. Maybe this other prospect could.