Mets Predicted to Sign $73M Pitcher, $113M Slugger This W...

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By Aaliyan Mohammed

Contributing Sports Writer

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The New York Mets traded Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien on Sunday. The move has many questioning whether the Mets will continue to move on from their core players.

Two of the Mets' best players opted out of their contracts and entered free agency this offseason. Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz are both free agents, and both are the best available at their position. The team has never shied away from spending, and Bleacher Report's Erik Beaston predicted both would be back in Queens next season.

Alonso signed a short-term deal with the Mets last offseason and figures to land the long-term deal he has been searching for this winter. After the season ended, David Stearns spoke about the Mets' desire to improve their run prevention. Alonso is one of the worst defensive first basemen in baseball, but his agent, Scott Boras, recently noted he is willing to play more designated hitter. This could be a key factor in the Mets' decision to bring him back.

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"While there have been reports linking him to various different teams, it is still difficult to imagine the face of the franchise for the last six years playing for any other team but the one that drafted him," Beaston wrote on Alonso on Monday.

Díaz reportedly wants to sign another $100 million deal and is willing to sign elsewhere to make it happen. However, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman, the Mets are his top choice in free agency. He was the National League Reliever of the Year last season and has now won Reliever of the Year three times.

"Ditto Diaz, who was the best closer in baseball last season and plays at a position the Mets quite literally cannot afford to have get worse," Beaston wrote. "Paying him his desired five-year deal, not terribly unlike the one he signed a few years back with the team, would keep him around long-term and allow the front office to focus on shoring up the bullpen."

Signing both players will be expensive. Even if Díaz doesn't sign for $100 million, he will not be cheap. Spotrac projects him to sign a four-year, $73 million deal. Meanwhile, Alonso is projected to sign a four-year, $113 million deal. Stearns noted on Monday that it is still possible for the Mets to sign both players.

More MLB: Mets, Edwin Díaz Reach ‘Sticking Point’ in Negotiations: Report

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