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

The 2023 season was so disastrous for the New York Mets to the point where Pete Alonso rumors became a real thing at the deadline. What's worse is the Mets didn't say he's off the table. While it's certainly the smart thing to listen to any Alonso offer, the Mets trading their superstar away would be a horrible first move for David Stearns to make.

According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, the Chicago Cubs are a team that will be inquiring on the soon-to-be free agent. Rogers also says Alonso would welcome a deal to Chicago and that'd make an extension more plausible.

We can debate as to whether Alonso actually wants to go to Chicago or not, but the Cubs calling the Mets and asking about Pete makes sense. The Mets should not be unwilling to move him as he could depart for nothing after the 2024 season, but they should only trade him for a kings ransom. When I say king's ransom, I mean an offer that'd have Mets fans on board. It'd take a ton.

Here are three Cubs players the Mets must demand if any Pete Alonso trade to the North Side were to ever come into fruition. It might even take all three to get something done.

1) NY Mets should demand Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong

Wouldn't this be something? The Mets selected Pete Crow-Armstrong 19th overall in the 2020 MLB Draft but used him as the trade piece that sent Javier Baez and Trevor Williams to New York. While Baez and Williams played well, their stints were short and resulted in zero Mets playoff series wins. Crow-Armstrong on the other hand, has developed into one of the best prospects in baseball.

The 21-year-old is the Cubs top prospect and is ranked 12th overall on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 list. Had the Mets held onto him and decided to trade him now, they could've done a whole lot better than an expiring Javier Baez and a swingman.

The young outfielder is known primarily for his glove as he projects as a future potential Gold Glover in center field. His improvement offensively this season in the minors led to him being a September call-up but he struggled in his first big league action, going hitless in 14 at-bats with seven strikeouts.

While he might not be a star yet, Crow-Armstrong would fit in nicely in the Mets outfield that could use another member and would make Mets fans feel a lot better about the team giving him up in the first place.

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.