Mets’ Pete Alonso ‘wants to’ play for 1 team who will ‘do everything they can to’ acquire him: reports

The 2023 New York Mets season was one to forget.

After 101 wins last year, they were one of the spring training contenders to fight for a World Series – they did not even finish .500.

Sporting the largest payroll in North American sports history at close to $350 million, the Mets failed to make the postseason with their 74-87 record.

They went into sell mode at the trade deadline, and their selling might not quite be finished yet.

Rumors have swirled that Pete Alonso could be on the trade block among other gossip that he has played a role into the clubhouse’s issues – although former Met Tommy Pham praised Alonso’s work ethic and criticized others.

It seems, however, one team is not buying it: the Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs narrowly missed out on the postseason this year, but probably were not even supposed to contend at all. So, seeing that they were close, they reportedly want to go for Alonso.

Longtime Chicago baseball reporter Bruce Levine said on 670 The Score in Chicago that the “mumbling” in the Windy City is “the Cubs are going to do everything they can to trade for Pete Alonso from the Mets.”

Even better for the Cubs is that Alonso reportedly is eyeing the Cubs, as well.

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ESPN’s Jesse Rogers said Alonso “wants” to go to the Cubs on ESPN Chicago Tuesday morning.

“He has surveyed the big market contending teams and saw that the Cubs don’t have a first baseman ready to rock and roll…” Rogers said. “I think he wants to come here as much as they want him.”

New President of Baseball Operations David Stearns said he “expects” Alonso to be the Opening Day first baseman, and it is understandable why he would want that.

The two-time Home Run Derby champion had a career-low .217 batting average, and his .821 OPS was the second-worst mark of his career. However, his 46 home runs and 118 RBI ranked third and second in the majors, respectively.

Alonso has hit 37 or more home runs in each full season he has played – his 192 home runs since he entered the league in 2019 are the most in the majors in that span.

The slugger is set to hit free agency at the end of next season.