Zack Scott has been a voice on SNY in recent years, providing a distinct perspective on the game. The New York Mets’ General Manager for the 2021 season had a trade suggestion in reaction to one of the recurring topics David Stearns mentioned during his news conference on Monday.
Two prevalent subjects came up frequently. One involved Pete Alonso. Another was what the team could do to improve. Re-signing Alonso does not improve them, no matter how vital it may seem.
Scott put on his GM hat once more. You casually offered a deal between the Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals.
This Mets-Cardinals trade does seem to meet what both teams hope to do
This past year, Willson Contreras switched from behind the plate to first base full-time. Scott wasn’t lying when he suggested Contreras had a strong year on defense. His 6 Outs Above Average was tied for eighth among all first basemen. Alonso had a -9 OAA, the second-worst among eligible players at the position.
Stearns mentioned “run prevention” many times on Monday. He talked about pitching and defense as a method to overcome the Mets’ poor performance in this area. Alonso may not be as awful defensively at first base as some statistics suggest, but many of his mistakes have proven expensive.
Contreras lacks the power that Alonso possesses. This year, he hit 20 home runs and drove in 80 runs with a slash line of.257/.344/.447. He hit 15 home runs in just 84 games the previous year. Plenty of time at DH may have kept him fresher offensively.
According to his contract, Contreras is guaranteed $18 million this year and $18.5 million in 2027. There is a $17.5 million team option for 2028. It is much less than whatever AAV that Alonso will earn. The issue is whether the Cardinals are interested in Mark Vientos.
Even if they traded Nolan Arenado, it’s reasonable to assume they wouldn’t be interested in Vientos at third base on a regular basis. Vientos would be an automatic substitute for Contreras at a far lower cost. He’d join a youthful squad of players that underperformed this year. Putting it this way, he’d fit in perfectly.
Free agency will provide the Mets with a couple more excellent defenders. Ryan O’Hearn had an excellent defensive season and a strong year at the plate. Stearns’ major approach since joining the Mets has been free agency, and based on the trade outcomes, it has shown to be a significantly superior method. It would do nothing to appease the supporters, who appear unwilling to let Alonso go, as we should.