Major Marlins rival bat isn't leaving the division after all

Miami Marlins players are in demand as the Trade Deadline approaches. It certainly looks like The Fish are showing off a certain player. In the meantime, The Fish's division rivals are switching gears and looking at becoming buyers at the Trade Deadline. I'm of course talking about the New York Mets. A new report makes it clear about first baseman Pete Alonso.

The Miami Marlins will have to watch a power hitter remain in the division.

The New York Mets didn't enter this season as playoff hopefuls. The general consensus was that the team would be taking a step back and retooling the farm, with the hope of spending to contend in 2025. Rebuilding the farm has been a priority for Mets owner Steve Cohen and that's exactly what the team seemed to be focused on this season.

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso has been quite annoying to deal with for the Miami Marlins. The power hitter has been one of the reasons why the Mets have been a threat for The Fish over the last few seasons. Alonso is a free agent after the season and extension talks haven't gone anywhere.

Had the Mets been out of playoff contention, it seems pretty much a given that Alonso would be traded at the deadline. As things stand though, he will at the very least play out the season on the team. My guess is that he's out in free agency however. Reason being that the Mets seem to have a specific price tag that they see him as being worth and I feel that he expects more than that.

Pete Alonso is batting .241/.322/.449, with 19 home runs and 51 RBI in 99 games and 381 AB as of July 23. He's worth 1.0 WAR. Last season, he batted .217/.318/.504 with 46 home runs and 118 RBI in 154 games and 568 AB. He will really need to step it up in order to hit 40 or more home runs this season at this point. I'm hoping that he's out of the division after the season, helping the Miami Marlins with one less dangerous slugger to worry about.