The Mets’ trade of Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers for Marcus Semien on Monday opened multiple avenues for president of baseball operations David Stearns to continue improving the club. Those include some big-money possibilities. Asked directly if it would be realistic for the Mets to acquire Alonso, Díaz and a top-flight outfielder this offseason, Stearns replied: “Sure.”
“I think anything would be realistic right now,” he added.
The Mets, who racked up more than $330 million in payroll each of the last two seasons, recently had notable money come off the books as Alonso, Díaz, Starling Marte and several others hit free agency. Although signing Alonso, Díaz and an elite outfielder would add significant dollars back to that payroll, Stearns indicated that owner Steve Cohen would sign off on such a strategy.
“I think our ownership group is — and Steve is — very consistent that they’re willing to support what we think is right from a baseball perspective,” Stearns said. “Payroll space is not unending, but I am also very confident that we’re going to have the support we need, and certainly the resources we need to put a very good team on the field.”
Before trading Nimmo, the Mets had little choice but to pencil him into left field and Juan Soto in right, creating a less-than-ideal defensive alignment. Team officials were reluctant to make a major acquisition for center field, because they wanted to leave room for top position-player prospect Carson Benge to contribute as soon as early this season.
Nimmo’s departure changes all that. With Semien now at second, Jeff McNeil is free to play left field, center field, or even first or second base in a super-sub role — a possibility he discussed with Stearns during a phone call on Sunday. More important, it creates enough freedom for the Mets to acquire a pure corner outfielder, such as Tucker, or someone like Bellinger, who can play left, center or first. Although either of those players would require a nine-figure commitment, that appears to be a non-issue for the Mets.
Tucker, a high school teammate of Alonso, has been one of the game’s top offensive outfielders over the past half decade, producing at least 4.6 WAR every year since 2021. Bellinger, no stranger to New York, has been less consistent overall but won the National League MVP Award in 2019, and he has two top-15 finishes over the past three years.
Acquiring Tucker or Bellinger is no sure thing, with other big-market teams — including the Yankees, Blue Jays and Dodgers — reportedly interested. But the Mets should be motivated because after those two, a significant drop-off exists in outfield talent. In terms of WAR, the next-best outfielder on the open market is former Mets part-time player Harrison Bader.
Internally, the Mets have Soto available to play right field, Tyrone Taylor to soak up at least some reps in center and McNeil as a possibility in left. Benge and No. 3 prospect Jett Williams are close enough that they’ll compete for jobs in Spring Training, even if they’re not quite ready to win them. In any event, it’s clear the Mets will search beyond the organization for help.
“I think it would be too early for me to really determine how our outfield alignment is going to shape up,” Stearns said. “We’ve got a lot of offseason left. I would expect us to continue to be active in a variety of spaces to bring players in here, and I think we’ll have a better feel for what all of that looks like as we get much farther into the winter and ultimately into the spring.”
As for Alonso and Díaz, both of whom have already opened negotiations with the Mets, Stearns held firm on his usual reasoning.
“As I’ve said before, we’d love to have Pete and Edwin back,” he said. “They’re both great Mets. I’m not going to get into any specifics of any conversations that we’ve had to this point.”
