Following Pete Alonso's departure, the Mets pivot, reportedly eyeing a Cardinals outfielder and catcher to bolster their roster.
The New York Mets sure seemed like a team to spend a lot of money this offseason. So far, that hasn't happened.
Closer Edwin Diaz is joining the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers on a three-year deal worth $69 million.
Fan favorite and longtime Mets slugger Pete Alonso is leaving Queens after signing a bonkers five-year, $155 million deal.
Now, the Mets are scrambling and searching for answers. While it's still early in the free agency period, they aren't in desperation mode, at least not yet.
But, it might come soon, so the Mets might want to get in front of things.
After the Alonso news, reports stated that New York is showing interest, to some degree, in a pair of St. Louis Cardinals players.
One of them is outfielder Lars Nootbarr, per Will Sammon of The Athletic.
"For example, the Mets hold some interest in St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar, league sources said. More speculatively, San Diego Padres outfielder Ramón Laureano would present another match. Those are just a couple of names out of many possibilities."
On Wednesday, Cardinals reporter John Denton mentioned they had received calls on Willson Contreras after the Alonso news broke.
"Cardinals already fielding several calls about Donovan and Romero, they were queried by the Mets with interest in Contreras, per a source, after first baseman Pete Alonso left for the Orioles in free agency."
So, the Cardinals are in sell mode, the mets want to win, and now the Mets are even more desperate after losing two massive pieces of their roster.
While neither Nootbarr or Contreras will come remotely close to replacing Alonso, it would be a start, and seeing the earnestness from the front office would at least give fans some small glimmer of hopes in what has been a crushing few days.
Only time will tell, but the Mets have to do something before it's too late.