The New York Mets could have a need for more pitching depth and one trade idea has them dealing a former top prospect for another. Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report released seven Major League Baseball mock trades ahead of spring training and he involved the Mets in an intriguing one that saw Brett Baty being dealt to the Washington Nationals.

As long as Alonso remains a free agent, a path back to the Mets remains possible — even with Steve Cohen throwing cold water on the state of negotiations — but in the meantime Vientos and Baty are trying to make themselves in-house options to step into Polar Bear-sized shoes at first base.

The Mets’ Pete Alonso contingency plan is coming together. On the same day team owner Steve Cohen described the “exhausting” nature of his free-agent negotiations with Alonso’s camp, third basemen Mark Vientos and Brett Baty confirmed the Mets recently asked them to begin taking reps at first base.