Luckily for them, The Athletic’s Jim Bowden believes that the Mets are a top landing spot for a division rival’s superstar: Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber.
“In addition to being one of the premier power hitters in the game, Schwarber is highly valued around the league for his clubhouse presence. Although he’s basically limited to the DH position, Schwarber offers consistency — he hit 56 home runs this year and has hit 40 homers or more in three of the last four years — and also durability, having played in 150 or more games each of the last four years, including 162 this year,” Bowden wrote.
This past season, Schwarber slashed .240/.365/.563/.928 with 56 home runs and 132 RBI in 162 games. His power would easily replace and even improve upon Alonso’s, who hit 38 home runs and 126 RBI.
However, this signing depends on whether Alonso walks or not. If the Mets re-sign Alonso, one, they won’t have the money for Schwarber, and two, any money they do have needs to go to getting pitching.
Hopefully, the Mets can retain Alonso and target pitching early in the offseason. Although if he does walk, getting Schwarber should be at the top of their to-do list.