MLB Rumors: Cody Bellinger latest, Alonso prediction, potential Kenley Jansen package

Pete Alonso's name has been floated around in trade rumors since July's trade deadline. While it makes sense for the New York Mets to listen to Alonso trades with their star first baseman approaching free agency, it never felt like David Stearns was going to pull the trigger without a monster package coming back to Queens.

While that still might be the case for now, USA Today's Bob Nightengale predicts that Alonso will go right back to the trade block this coming July and will be available for any team to potentially acquire. If that's the case, it might be a lot more possible that the Mets do part with their first baseman.

Multiple things will have to take place for the Mets to seriously shop Alonso. First, the team cannot be in contention. Trading Alonso to avoid the risk of losing him for nothing makes sense if the Mets are out of it, but if they're in contention and trade arguably their best hitter, that'd be a very bad look for the organization.

Second, either one side or both sides will have to have no interest in discussing an extension. Keeping Alonso in Queens should be a priority for the Mets, but who knows if Alonso even wants to be there. He's always said the right things, but he's now in his final year of team control and no real discussions about a potential extension have been reported.

The longer this goes on without an extension in place, the more likely it is that Alonso is moved. While the Mets might be better than they were in 2023, they certainly don't have the same lofty expectations that they once had. If the Mets are out of it and extension discussions are not taking place by July's trade deadline, don't be shocked to see Alonso's name seriously come up in trade talks.