The Mets lost a franchise icon on Wednesday, but could turn their eyes to the Midwest for a possible replacement.
New York spoke to the Cardinals about Willson Contreras after Pete Alonso signed with the Orioles, according to MLB.com.
A three-time All-Star, Contreras was primarily a catcher until 2025, when he played 120 games at first base for St. Louis.
In his 10th big league season, Contreras, 33, hit .257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs. Defensively, he was a plus defender with six outs above average, according to Baseball Savant.
The Venezuela native has 172 home runs with an .811 OPS during his big league career with the Cubs and Cardinals.
He has two guaranteed years remaining on his five-year, $87.5 million contract with a club option through 2028.
Wednesday proved to be another rough day for the Mets offseason, with Alonso leaving Queens for Baltimore on a five-year contract worth $155 million.
Alonso, the Mets’ franchise leader in home runs with 264, caps a big year with a 144 OPS+, which marked a 22-point improvement from his up-and-down 2024 campaign.
His departure now leaves the Mets with another hole to fill.
With Brandon Nimmo traded to the Rangers and Edwin Diaz joining the Dodgers in free agency on Tuesday, the Amazin’s also have to make decisions in left field and at the back of their bullpen. Devin Williams should help fill the latter role, as he signed a three-year, $51 million contract in early December.
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