Jun 22, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso hits a single against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY SportsAs the calendar flipped to June during this 2024 season, the largest potential fish on the trade market ahead of Major League Baseball’s July 30 deadline was Pete Alonso.
Prognosticators spent their days playing hypothetical games of “what if?” Which team would want him most? Which club could offer the best package in a deal? Of course, the possibility still exists that there will be a team in the playoff hunt that could call up Stearns and blow the doors off of an overpay to acquire a difference-making bat like Alonso’s. But at this point, it feels like it would take another considerable swoon and a complete drop-off from playoff contention for Mets brass to consider that.