Mets listed as fit for available $260 million, 10-time Gold Glover

As the Major League Baseball world waits for the dam to break on the lucrative free-agent market, many eyes remain trained on the New York Mets.

The Mets are going to go wild this winter. Everyone knows owner Steve Cohen is aching to build on his team's surprise run to the National League Championship Series, and he has the seemingly infinite means to make it happen.

Nearly every big-money free agent available has been linked to the Mets at one point or another this November. However, New York also boasts a farm system chock-full of prospects to offer in prospective trades.

Conversely, the Cardinals have indicated that the organization will engage in a full-blown "reboot," according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. St. Louis is looking to rebuild a roster rife with bloated veteran contracts after going 71-91 in 2023 and 83-79 in 2024. 

The two sides could come together for a blockbuster trade this winter, as Jon Heyman of the New York Post calls Cardinals third baseman a fit for the Mets.

Arenado, a 10-time Gold Glover and five-time Silver Slugger winner, is scheduled to make $21 million this season on a $260 million contract slated to run through 2027.

At that amount, Arenado has priced himself out of the Cardinals' plans, with the team's "reboot" possibly taking longer than his contract runs. 

The 12-year big-league veteran slogged through one of his worst seasons in 2024, batting .272 with a scant 16 home runs and 71 RBI. He also failed to win a Gold Glove for the second straight season.

However, the Mets could be highly interested in Arenado if the team is unwilling or unable to bring free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso back into the fold this winter.

In that scenario, FanGraphs projects the Mets to move current third baseman Mark Vientos to first baseman, with disappointing former top prospect Brett Baty getting another chance to nail down the third base position in Queens.

Baty, who is reportedly on the trade block after being surpassed by Vientos on the Mets' depth chart, could be among the players New York offers to St. Louis in a deal for Arenado.

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