3 Cubs players the Mets should demand in any Pete Alonso trade

2) NY Mets should demand Cubs prospect Cade Horton

Pete Crow-Armstrong would be a piece to help the Mets right now and is the best player the Mets can realistically acquire in an Alonso trade, but Cade Horton would be a great piece for the Mets to get who can help out when they're ready to seriously compete.

The right-hander was the seventh overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft by the Cubs and has risen quickly up prospect ranks. He's the Cubs number two prospect and is ranked 29th overall in the majors according to MLB Pipeline. He's the fourth-highest ranked pitcher on the Top 100 list, ahead of highly touted arms like Ricky Tiedemann and Jacob Misiorowski.

Horton began this season in Single-A but worked his way up through High-A and got all the way to AA Tennessee where he'd post a sparkling 1.33 ERA in six starts. He allowed a total of four earned runs in 27 innings of work.

Horton's ETA is 2025 according to MLB Pipeline and there's a chance it could be even sooner depending on how aggressive the Mets are with him and how well he pitches. While the Mets have been developing some nice pitching talent in the minors, Horton would be by far not only the best pitching prospect in the Mets system, but overall prospect as well. He's a must-add for a team in need of high-end pitching.