Pete Alonso to be shopped?: 5 possible landing spots

Houston Astros

The trade: The Astros acquire Alonso. The Mets acquire Luis Baez and Rhett Kouba.

People keep speculating about the Astros being sellers at the trade deadline, but lead executive Dana Brown has been adamant that the organization will not go that route. If they are not selling, perhaps they become ultra-aggressive buyers. With Alex Bregman being a pending free agent, their window could be closing, so why not go all-in? Houston has plenty of power in its lineup, but another player like Alonso could help give it a boost in the season’s final months. The two teams were trade partners last year as the Mets sent Justin Verlander back to the Lone Star State for Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford. 

Baez is a potential power-hitting right fielder with a strong arm, but he needs to cut down on his strikeouts. The No. 2 prospect in the Astros’ system is slugging .485 in High-A ball this season. Kouba could be another interesting piece for the Mets to look at. He has a unique story coming from the community college level and eventually landing at Dallas Baptist before being selected in the 12th round in 2021. He has a 7.45 ERA this season in AAA, but there is still hope for the 24-year-old to emerge as a back-end starter in a major-league rotation.