Mets ‘really want’ slugger and are ‘serious’ about blockbuster: ‘It’s heating up,’ insider says

The New York Mets appear ready to find out if the acquisition of first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in the “realm of fantasy baseball” or a realistic possibility.

After SNY reported Wednesday that the Mets “have talked” with the Toronto Blue Jays about the star first baseman but cautioned that it was “fantasy,” more heat was thrown behind New York’s desires by ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney on Thursday .

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“I wanted to say this about the hot stove,” Olney told Michael Kay on his ESPN radio show. “It’s heating up. It’s definitely seeping out now.”

The duo quickly went to the Mets-Guerrero link — “I saw something you tweeted out just moments before We got you on the air that the Mets are really serious about trying to acquire Vlad Guerrero, right?” Kay asked.

“Yeah, and you’re trying to figure out how all this fits, aren’t you?” said Olney, who tweeted that in a “perfect world” the Mets want to find a trade for Guerrero.

The insider explained that while Mets owner Steve Cohen “loves” Alonso, it’s clear the two sides can’t agree on the money behind a three-year deal, a length Alonso is reportedly willing to take with the Mets. President of baseball operations David Stearns simply isn’t inclined to overpay for a one-dimensional, listless first baseman in his 30s, but he would be willing to extend for Guerrero, who at 25 is a four-time All-Star and much more complete batsman.

“Talks about a multi-year deal (between Guerrero and the Blue Jays) haven’t gotten anywhere to this point,” Olney said. “They’re far apart, and gosh, when we think about it, it all makes sense because the Blue Jays are now reportedly in talks with Alonso. They could pivot and pay Pete Alonso or (third baseman) Alex Bregman to be signature star And so at that point they move on Vladdy and they’re willing to trade him.

“And the Mets, from what I’ve been told, really want Vladdy. Can you imagine Soto and Vladimir Guerrero, both in their mid-20s, those two guys going back-to-back as two big power hitters that don’t hit quite a lot? It would be dynamic.”

Guerrero hit .323 with a .940 OPS (168 OPS+), 30 home runs and 103 RBIs last season. For his career, he has a 137 OPS+ with a .288/.363/.500 line and 160 home runs in six seasons.

Olney said the Mets under Cohen have shown a willingness to commit to dealing a player before he hits free agency, as they did with shortstop Francisco Lindor, whom they extended for 10 years, $341 million just before Opening Day in 2021. Olney believes that would also be the Mets’ strategy with Guerrero, and they have the pieces to make it happen.

“You know the Mookie Betts trade showed pretty clearly that you can get a really good player a year in free agency without necessarily giving up everything,” Olney said. “The price for Juan Soto was high; you’d assume the price for Vladdy wouldn’t be quite that high, but the Mets have this surplus of position player prospects, which happens to be exactly what the Blue Jays need. Their farm system is thinned out. They need names. They need volume. That’s what the Mets have at the top of their farm system.”

In 2020, the Los Angeles Dodgers sent outfielder Alex Verdugo, catcher Connor Wong and Jeter Downs to the Red Sox for Betts in a trade that has crippled Boston.

It looks like the Guerrero Lottery has only just begun.