In anticipation of a potential Pete Alonso departure, Tim Britton last month examined the various directions the Mets could turn to replace him at first base and in the lineup. He came up with three tiers.
Tier 1: Alonso and Alonso-lites
This basically involves acquiring a player at or near Alonso’s offensive level. That could be an impact third baseman — a free agent like Alex Bregman or a trade candidate like Isaac Paredes — or it could be a right-handed first baseman like Yandy Diaz or Willson Contreras, each of whom seems to be a reasonable trade candidate.
Tier 2: Rebuilding Alonso in the aggregate
This would involve adding a couple of players who add up to something similar to what the Mets have lost. Think a buy-low first baseman like Christian Walker with an emerging DH like Ryan O’Hearn, or an impact trade addition like Tyler Soderstrom with a risk-reward first baseman like Lewin Díaz.
Tier 3: Taking a leap of faith
The free agent market is loaded with lower-level first baseman and platoon hitting outfielders. Maybe Austin Hayes or Rob Refsnyder to beat up on left-handed pitching, Carlos Santana to stabilize first base, Yoán Moncada as a cheap, hope-for-the-best free agent with upside in the infield.
