2 realistic Mets trades with 2 very different directions

Over at Bleacher Report, Zachary D. Rymer put together a list of ten realistic offseason MLB trades. The New York Mets were highlighted in two of them. 

The trades were all blockbuster. The pair involving the Mets couldn't be much more different from each other.

One trade involves the team selling. The other has them buying. The Mets would be unlikely to make both of these trades because of the opposite direction each would take them. What are these deals and how do we feel about them?

A realistic NY Mets trade proposed to send Pete Alonso to the Cubs

Pete Alonso trade rumors have heated up and it's impossible to put a list like this together without him. The trade here would send him and Kevin Parada to the Chicago Cubs for pitching prospect Cade Horton and first baseman Matt Mervis.

Naturally, anyone in favor of keeping Alonso is already disappointed in this move. It's not exceptional. Including Kevin Parada only adds to the dismay a little bit. However, we should all come to the realization that it’ll either be him or Francisco Alvarez with the franchise, not both.

Horton is the number 29 prospect in all of baseball. The seventh overall pick from the 2022 draft would be a huge addition to a growing Mets farm system. Combined at three levels in 2023, Horton was 4-4 with a 2.65 ERA. He ended his year with six starts in Double-A and a 1.33 ERA. The guy is going to be really good.

The problem is we want the Mets to be good now. Mervis turns 26 in April and already appears to be one of those Four-A type of players. The Mets don’t need a first baseman of his caliber. Plugging in Mark Vientos or even a position change for Brett Baty across the diamond could work out better.

Trading Alonso is complicated because of how much the fans adore him and how hard he’d be to replace. This trade package is tough to agree on because the Mervis inclusion almost seems like deadweight. Biased Mets fans will probably want to pass on this one.

A realistic NY Mets trade proposed to acquire Corbin Burnes

This is the sort of move fans would be really happy about. And if this realistic trade is what it takes, David Stearns should greenlight it.

This trade idea sends Corbin Burnes to the Mets for Ronny Mauricio and Ryan Clifford. That’s it. The 2021 Cy Young winner and a still very capable starting pitcher a year away from free agency for two young players. Even prospect huggers will agree this would be worth exploring.

Burnes is the exact sort of pitcher the Mets should be on the hunt for. He's a trade and extend candidate immediately after he lands at LaGuardia candidate if there ever was one.

The package seems like an expendable one for the Mets, too. Mauricio and Clifford are already facing logjams at whatever position they end up at. As much as Mauricio can contribute in 2024 and beyond, the Mets should absolutely trade him for a pitcher like Burnes. Clifford, while a talented prospect, is a few years away from the big leagues. He might even end up as a first baseman where we’d hope to have Alonso.

Which of these deals is more likely to happen? The pessimist in us all probably believes Burnes will have to wait until free agency to target. Meanwhile, these Alonso trade rumors that won’t go away might make us a little more timid to gift a jersey of his to a family member this holiday season.