One notable MLB insider and former general manager believes that one big swing the Seattle Mariners should make on the trade market is to go after New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso, but they may have to give up one of their most promising young pitching prospects in the process.
Heading into the MLB games today the Mariners are in a solid position in the American League West despite getting off to a 19-16 start. Fortunately for them, top rivals the Texas Rangers have also had a bumpy start to the year and are only a half-game up on them in the division.
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After missing the playoffs last year there is hope that they can return to the form they showed in 2022 and be a serious threat for the Rangers and Houston Astros in the West. To do that they need a big bopper in the middle of the order to strike fear in opposing pitchers and protect others in the lineup. The Athletic MLB insider Jim Bowden believes impending free agent Pete Alonso is the man Seattle should target before the July trade deadline.
“The Mariners would fill their biggest need, landing a big middle-of-the-order power bat to give them a much better chance of winning the AL West and even running the table in October,” the former MLB GM wrote on Monday.
While Alonso hit just .217 last season and is only batting .205 in 2024, the three-time All-Star is one of the premiere power hitters in the league and has hit 40 and 46 home runs in the last two years.
- Pete Alonso stats (2024): .205 AVG, .293 SLG, .417 OBP, 8 HR, 16 RBI, 20 R
What would the Seattle Mariners have to give the New York Mets in a potential trade for Pete Alonso?
While Pere Alonso’s impending free agency likely means he will just be a rental for the Seattle Mariners this season, it does not mean he will come cheap. The first-baseman is sure to have many suitors in July if the Mets put him on the block under the belief they will not contend for a playoff spot this season.
With that in mind, Bowden suggests that first baseman Ty France, and the sixth overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, Emerson Hancock, could be enough to get a deal done. Hancock has a 4.75 ERA after six starts this season, however, he has started to pick up momentum over his last few starts.
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- Emerson Hancock stats (2024): 3-3, 4.75 ERA, 1.286 WHIP, 23 SO, 9 BB, 30.1 IP
He was a top-five prospect in Seattle’s system (via MLB.com) before being promoted and making three starts last season. The Mets are in desperate need of young, talented pitchers and it makes a lot of sense that they would target him in a potential Pete Alonso trade.
