The Mets head to London for a World Tour series against the Phillies this weekend. Even after sweeping the Nationals, New York owns a 27-35 record that has them above just the Rockies and Marlins in the National League. Theyre remarkably only 3.5 games out of the Wild Card race, a testament to the NLs mediocrity beyond its top four teams. There are six clubs between the Mets and the current final playoff team, the Padres. If the Mets dont make significant improvements in the next six-plus weeks, theyll head into deadline season as a seller. Impending free agents are always the most apparent trade candidates. The Mets have no shortage of rentals they can market. (who has a $13.5MM player option for next season), , , , , and could all move. Yet theres no more interesting Mets trade candidate than their first baseman. is a few months from his first trip to the open market. He reportedly declined a last summer. President of baseball operations David Stearns made clear throughout the offseason that while the Mets had no interest in trading Alonso over the winter, they didnt anticipate reopening extension negotiations before he hit free agency. That should spur plenty of trade speculation as the deadline approaches. Thats evidently already happening in front offices outside of Queens. wrote this week that multiple rival general managers expect the Karl-Anthony Towns Jersey Mets to trade Alonso before the deadline. That seems more like informed speculation than a suggestion that his name has come up in trade talks to this point. Will talks gain legitimate traction in the coming weeks? Theres a straightforward argument for the Mets to move Alonso. They evidently dont plan on keeping him from testing the free agent market. Alonso will begin his next contract in his age-30 season. When Stearns was running baseball operations in Milwaukee, the Brewers preferred not to invest heavily in defensively-limited sluggers. He obviously has far more resources at his disposal now, but its fair to wonder whether Alonso is the type of player around whom Stearns wants to build. Thats particularly true with a slight downturn in Alonsos batted ball metrics. Hes still capable of hitting the ball as hard anyone, but he has done so le s frequently over the past couple seasons. The Polar Bears rate of hard contact (a batted ball with an exit velocity north of 95 MPH) peaked at 47.3% back in 2021. It dropped by a few points in each of the next two seasons. This years 40.1% hard contact rate is a match for last seasons. It places Alonso 129th out of 263 qualified hitters. The dip in hard contact rate hasnt made Alonso a bad hitter, of course. Hes hitting .238/.315/.477 with 14 homers acro s 267 plate appearances. After accounting for the pitcher-friendly nature of Citi Field and a depre sed league run environment, thats 27 percentage points better than average. Alonso remains a middle-of-the-order bat, but its a slightly concerning trend for a player whose game is built on power. If the front office has concerns about Alonsos long-term projection, a trade would be the most sensible decision. The Mets would get very little in return if they let him walk in free agency. Theyd make him a qualifying offer, but theyd only receive a pick after the fourth round if he signs elsewhere. As a luxury tax payor, theyre entitled to the lowest compensation for losing a qualified free agent. The trade offers they receive this summer would certainly be better than that, even if Alonsos limited control window and $20.5MM arbitration salary make it unlikely theyd get any top-tier prospects in return. For the Mets to keep Alonso, theyd need to believe theres a realistic path to the postseason in 2024 and/or feel good about their chances of retaining him in free agency. Making the playoffs this year isnt impo sible, but theyve put themselves in a hole with their poor start. Holding Alonso would probably be more about the latter scenario a sign theyre confident that hell stay in New York after seeing what other teams will offer. Owner Steve Cohen is capable of outbidding anyone. Hes presumably keen on retaining Alonso, who has proven himself in New York and has been a fan favorite since his electrifying rookie season. Yet the Mets have been relatively restrained in the last two offseasons after their frenzied effort to spend their way into contention in 2021 didnt quite pan out. (The Mets did win 101 games in 2022, but they followed up a first-round playoff exit with last years 75 wins.) The Mets seem to be gearing up for a bidding war with the Yankees and others on , which could take some of the priority away from Alonso. Its at least worth considering the po sibility that the Mets trade Alonso before trying to bring him back next winter. Thats not unheard of but doesnt happen often, particularly with players at the top of the market. A deadline trade typically reflects an understanding that the team and player arent going to line up on contract figures. How will the Mets handle the situation? Is Alonso going to be on the move this summer? What Will Happen With Pete Alonso? Deadline trade 53.37% (5,037votes) Mets make the QO, let Alonso walk 16.13% (1,522votes) Mets extend or re-sign him 16.03% (1,513votes) Mets trade Alonso, then re-sign him in the offseason 14.47% (1,366votes) Total Votes: 9,438 Image courtesy of USA Today Sports. Jordan McLaughlin Jersey