AFTER THE DEADLINE

BY MARK HALPERN

At the trade deadline the Mets made a lot of moves. They didn’t move any of the young players on the roster (Vientos, Acuna, Baty and Mauricio). Since the deadline one of things that has come up more than once is what will Pete Alonso do? Odds are he will opt out of his current deal with the Mets to get a contract that will make him a Met for Life. The question becomes what should the Mets do with all the talent in the wings? What do the Mets do?

    Pete Alonso will be at the forefront of all issues the Mets need to deal with. Pete Alonso affectionately known as “The Polar Bear” signed a two-year deal with an opt out last year with the Mets. Pete is not just a great ball player but he wants to finish his career with the Mets and has not made that a secret. Cohen and Stearns will have to make a decision on what to offer but I’m thinking around  5 years 40 per $200 million. Pete just turned 31 and we don’t know what he will be like 5 years from now and the Mets can make that decision then.

    Of all the Mets rookies this season Brett Baty has played the most consistently all season and should win the third base spot. Ronny Maurico will back up at both second and third, but can also play left field giving him many opportunities to play. Francisco Alvarez has had an injury plagued season. Alvarez is the top catcher in the organization. The Mets also promoted former first round pick Kevin Parada to triple A. Luis Angel Acuna has definitely proved his worth with his baserunning and his glove but his Bat has not developed as much as the Mets hoped.I’m chalking that up to him not playing everyday. I also don’t think it’s fair to compare him to his brother. That brings us to Mark Vientos who is finally showing us the player of 2024. Most of the season for Vientos has been dreadful, but is now turning it around with a scorching red hot August that we truly hope continues into the playoffs. Vientos’s glove has been a liability for the Mets this season making him the DH on this team. I don’t have a problem with it at all but he can be useful on the field and maybe teaching to play more of a first base as a back up. With Starling Marte being an impending free agent, Vientos could be the future DH.

   The Mets will have two more position players ready next season and that will be CF Jett Williams and 1b/3b Ryan Clifford (who is on one of the hottest runs in AAA) who could compete with Vientos. 

  As for the rotation. The Mets have now called up all three big pitching prospects in Mclean, Tong (who have combined for a 5-0 record) but Brandon Sproat will make his debut Sunday and we are all expecting to see some more greatness. These three pitchers are the life line right now pulling the Mets into the playoffs. 

Once we hit the offseason the Mets will have a better idea on what they need to add whether to the rotation or lineup but, Steans and Cohen definitely will have some decisions to make.