*This is a prediction*
The Pete Alonso sweepstakes come to an end, and it ends with the Baltimore Orioles being the team to land him in MLB free agency. The move to sign Alonso is massive for the Orioles, but it also complicates things with their roster.
The first base spot is now going to be fully occupied by Alonso, which clouds the future of a talent they were seeing start to rise in Ryan Mountcastle. For the Orioles, this could mean they can be persuaded to trade Mountcastle and continue to advance the team in other spots.
If this is the case, the New York Mets make sense to be suitors and trade for Ryan Mountcastle.
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It was reported that the New York Mets made no true effort to try and re-sign Pete Alonso. With them having a vacancy at first base, while also needing help in their lineup, it creates an interesting scenario as they now have more major holes to fill in free agency. What this also signals though, is that after their collapse in the 2025 season, they are looking to clean house and start fresh with new talent.
It would just so happen to be a coincidence if Baltimore got Alonso, and then traded their former first baseman in Ryan Mountcastle to the Mets to replace Alonso. In this scenario, that is exactly what happens.
Ryan Mountcastle is still just 28 years old, and has had six years of experience. He is someone that still has upside, while also being able to help the Mets compete instantly in 2026. Mountcastle is coming off a season in which he had a .250/.286/.367 slash line with seven home runs and 35 RBIs. His production was limited as he dealt with a hamstring injury.
When fully healthy, his impact is still enough to make him an ideal trade target as he has a career slash line of .263/.312/.438 with 98 home runs and 363 RBIs. The Mets need help at first base, and Mountcastle has the ability to be the solution there, and help them start to fix their batting lineup as well.