MLB Insider suggests Mariners as a top landing spot for Mets superstar Pete Alonso

I already can see your eyes rolling at this idea. Before you jump into the comment section just know this: I did not come up with this idea on my own. The Athletic's Jim Bowden posted an article reacting to the Miami Marlins sending their best hitter, Luis Arraez, to the San Diego Padres earlier this month. While early May blockbusters are rare, they are not unheard of. In Jim's article, he also proposed other trades of players who could be available this summer, or sooner. In this article, we are going to focus on his proposal for the Mets to send the Mariners Pete Alonso.

While his bat would fit right in this lineup, Alonso himself may not be the best fit here, at least not yet. The Polar Bear is in the last year of arbitration and is set to become a free agent after the season. While he has been open to contract discussions with the Mets before, nothing came to fruition. Would he be willing to accept a contract extension with the Mariners? Maybe, but nothing is guaranteed there. That significantly increases the risk of trading for him.

The Mariners also already have a first baseman on the roster who is playing decent ball. Ty France is kind of struggling so far this year, as he is slashing just .248/.310/.342/.652 with an OPS+ of just 93. While he has seemed to be getting better as of late, those numbers are just not good enough from your everyday first baseman. For context, Pete Alonso is slashing .212/.297/.445/.742 with an OPS+ of 114. That means that Alonso is roughly 21% better than Ty France, at least in terms of OPS+. Alonso is a pure power hitter, something the Mariners offense desperately needs.

In terms of prospects, the Mariners do have Tyler Locklear down in Double-A Arkansas. He is off to a hot start, slashing .316/.444/.526/.971 in 95 at-bats. He is just 23 years old, but Locklear did play college ball at Virginia Commonwealth University. The former Ram has been flying up prospect boards, and should he continue to swing a hot stick, he could be up with the Mariners later this Summer.

What would a Pete Alonso trade look like for the Mariners?

Now look away Mets fans, because this is the trade that was proposed by JIm Bowden:

If you are a Mariners fan reading that trade, I bet you'd be excited. If I was Jerry Dipoto or Justin Hollander, and the Mets came to me with this trade, I would take this deal every single time and twice on Sunday. Do I think that this trade is a realistic one? Probably not. The Mets are not going to move the face of their franchise for anything less than a serious haul. Bowden is much more connected to the teams than I am, so if this is what he proposed, then maybe there is some traction there.

Remember, Alonso is 29 years old, and will be a free agent at the end of the season. Sure, you can slap a qualifying offer on him and hope for the best, but he is going to get a big contract, either from the Mariners or another team. Trading anything more than Hancock and France, and I may not be up for that deal.

While we as Mariners fans were frustrated with the Ownership Group this offseason for seeming to go the cheap route, the Mariners did add some fresh blood to the Ownership Group, and with that comes deeper pockets. Maybe they will be motivated to spend some money? We can only hope.

Banners hang forever, and trophies stay in their cases forever. Does Pete Alonso alone make the Mariners a World Series favorite? No, but does he get them a lot closer than they are without him? You bet. And I am always a sucker for a team going "all in" to win a championship. The Rangers did it, the Dodgers are doing it, and who knows? Maybe the Mariners will do it.

As always, Go Mariners!