Mets attempted to trade for star first baseman

The 33-year-old, who spent most of his big league career as a catcher beginning with the Chicago Cubs, spent most of last season as a first baseman and designated hitter for the Cardinals. New York's reported interest in the veteran also comes after recently signing veteran infielder Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million deal to play first base (a position he's only played in just one inning throughout his 12-year career).

Contreras was certainly someone who was deemed a fit for the Mets after Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles. His smooth transition from catching to playing first base made him an attractive option, and he was more than capable of platooning DH duties.

The veteran strung together a productive season for St. Louis in 2025, batting .257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs, 80 RBI and an OPS of .797. Contreras has slugged 20 home runs or more in six of his ten big league seasons thus far and has 172 career long balls with 548 RBI. Defensively, he was an asset with a Fielding Run Value of +4 and being worth +6 Outs Above Average at first.

Even though the Mets seem content with having Polanco as their starting first baseman next season despite his inexperience at the position, Contreras could have been a great addition to the lineup and at first base. His much larger sample size at the position and the fact that he played it very well last year would have made him the safer option as well.

The Amazins' also recently missed out on another first base option after Ryan O'Hearn inked a two-year, $29 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 23. The 32-year-old is coming off a career year in 2025 with both the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres, stringing together a career-best .281 batting average with 17 home runs and a 3.0 fWAR.

After failing to trade for Contreras or sign O'Hearn, the Mets could pursue free agent position players such as Cody Bellinger, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, or Bo Bichette. Bellinger has been the name that has circled around the Mets the most due to his ability to play first base, the outfield and DH; however, he is favored to re-sign with the New York Yankees this offseason.

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