MLB Rumors Reveal Possible Mets FA, Trade Targets After Pete Alonso's Orioles Contract
The New York Mets could be considering replacing Pete Alonso with a first-base platoon next season.
The Boston Globe's Tim Healey reported Wednesday that the Mets have "floated internally" the idea of bringing in free agent Paul Goldschmidt to play alongside Jeff McNeil at the position.
Another possibility could come via trade, with the Mets reportedly checking in on St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras, per John Denton of MLB.com.
Contreras spent nine MLB seasons primarily at catcher before making the switch to first base last year. The three-time All-Star hit .257 with 20 home runs and 80 RBI in 2025.
Alonso has been the Mets' go-to starter at first base for the last seven seasons.
He reportedly agreed to a five-year, $155 million deal to join the Baltimore Orioles in free agency on Wednesday.
McNeil, who is heading into his ninth season with the club, has spent most of his Mets career at either second base, third base or the outfield.
Last season he was most regularly used as the Mets' second baseman, making 77 appearances at the position according to Baseball Reference.
Second base might no longer be open now that the Mets traded Brandon Nimmo to acquire Marcus Semien from the Texas Rangers.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns first floated the idea that Semien's acquisition could lead to McNeil shifting to first base in November.
"We may ask Jeff to play some first base, depending on how the offseason pans out," Stearns told reporters after the Semien trade, per SNY's Danny Abriano.
Goldschmidt, on the other hand, is a career first baseman who hit free agency at the end of his one-year deal with the New York Yankees.
Targeting him would help the Mets add a player with first-base experience, but might not help the club make up for losing both Nimmo and Alonso from the batting order.
Morosi speculated Wednesday that the Mets would fill that need by bringing in another former Yankee in Cody Bellinger, who batted .272 with 25 doubles and 29 home runs last season.
Bellinger spent most of the 2025 season in the outfield, where the Mets could have a gap following Nimmo's departure and McNeil's potential infield move.
Stearns recently mentioned Triple-A prospect Carson Benge as another candidate to compete for a spot in the outfield next season, per SNY's John Flanigan.
