Insider addresses rumors about Cubs, Mets' Pete Alonso

It sounds like the New York Mets aren't yet losing sleep regarding All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso possibly attempting to force a trade to the Chicago Cubs this offseason. 

"Chicago is an improving team in a great town, but no one around the Mets believes Alonso has a craving for the Cubs," MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post said in a piece published Thursday afternoon. 

Multiple reports from earlier in the week made it known the Cubs plan to at least explore acquiring Alonso this fall and/or winter after they looked into landing the "Polar Bear" amid the Mets' trade-deadline fire sale this past summer. ESPN MLB reporter Jesse Rogers (h/t The Comeback) said Alonso "wants" to join the Cubs, but new Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns told reporters Monday he expects the slugger to remain with the organization through at least the start of next season. 

Alonso is eligible for free agency after the 2024 campaign. 

Heyman added that Alonso "was upset" the Mets parted ways with manager Buck Showalter before the club's season finale, but the insider also said "that shouldn’t kill" New York's chances of keeping arguably its most popular player among fans. 

Eyebrows were raised when it was learned Thursday morning that Alonso hired Scott Boras as his new agent. Last December, Boras praised Steve Cohen and compared the big-spending Mets owner to Goliath and King Kong, and Heyman explained that Boras represented ace Max Scherzer and outfielder Brandon Nimmo when they inked lucrative deals with the Amazins. 

Scherzer signed a three-year, $130M contract with the Mets in November 2021, while Nimmo agreed to an eight-year deal reportedly worth $162M last December. 

General manager Billy Eppler was expected to work under Stearns but officially resigned on Thursday. It's unclear if Eppler's departure could impact Alonso's future with the Mets for and/or beyond the 2024 season.