Mets ‘in the mix’ for left-handed slugger. But is he a good fit?

Pete Alonso isn’t the only star slugger the Mets are eyeing in free agency this winter.

New York is “in the mix” for designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.

The Mets aren’t alone in the Schwarber sweepstakes. The Phillies remain the favorite to bring Schwarber back, Passan reports. Passan also singled out the Red Sox and Reds as teams in on Schwarber, among others.

Schwarber, 32, swatted a career-high 56 home runs in 2025, the most in the National League. He finished second in the NL Most Valuable Player Award race this year, one spot ahead of Juan Soto.

On paper, Schwarber to the Mets makes sense. New York needs an influx of power production this offseason after Alonso’s decision to opt out again and the decision to trade Brandon Nimmo. The Mets can flex financially to outbid other contenders, dealing a debilitating blow to the division rival Phillies in the process. Imagine the prodigious numbers Soto and Schwarber would put up together for the next few years?

The fit isn’t perfect, though.

First, Schwarber is a lefty. The Mets already have a lefty-heavy lineup and Schwarber can’t provide the same type of protection behind Soto that Alonso did this past season. That lefty-righty punch in the heart of the Mets’ order was one of the bright spots in what will go down as one of the most disappointing campaigns in team history.

Schwarber also exclusively plays designated hitter. That would preclude the Mets from using Soto or anybody else at the DH spot for the entirety of his tenure in Queens.

President of baseball operations David Stearns has harped on run prevention this offseason and how improving the Mets’ overall defense is a top priority. He showed that with the Nimmo trade, importing elite defender Marcus Semien to play second base. The Mets could be better off preserving flexibility for how they’ll use the designated hitter spot.

Schwarber is one of the best power hitters in the sport, but like Alonso, there will be long-term concerns about how his power production will age.

Keep in mind that while Schwarber works walks and he’s elite at the plate in every quality of contact metric, he strikes out nearly 30 percent of the time. Only two other players struck out more than Schwarber (197) in 2025. His 33.1 whiff rate was one of the highest in baseball this year.

Whatever the Mets decide, it sounds like Schwarber could be the first big domino to fall on the open market with the Winter Meetings looming next week.

“He’s going to get years, and he’s going to get AAV, and at this point, he might be the likeliest of the big free agents to sign first,” Passan wrote. “Unclear if something gets done before the meetings, but I’d be surprised if they end and he doesn’t have a team.”

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