New York Mets: What if Pete Alonso and Aaron Judge swapped teams

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Dominic Smith, New York Mets. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

The winners

The person who benefits the most from the New York Mets playing with Judge in the lineup, instead of Alonso, is beloved backup Dominic Smith, who would now likely start every day at first base. If the Amazins wanted to get Davis in the lineup at third base, there is a way.

They could move Robinson Cano to first and return Jeff McNeil to his natural position at second. For defensive reasons, it makes much more sense for Dom Smith to play first base. Then again, manager Luis Rojas could also use that same versatility and manipulate his lineup for tough lefty and right pitching opponents.

The losers

The New York Mets player who would suffer the most from this swap is J.D Davis. With Judge inserted into right field, Conforto would go back to his natural position in left, while Nimmo would remain in center. Davis is then out of a starting job.

Although Nimmo and Jake Marisnick are better defensive options in center field, if Rojas needs an offensive boost, he could have Conforto play center and use either Davis in left. It would likely take an injury somewhere to make that happen, but the option is there.

Yoenis Cespedes and Jed Lowrie are the other losers here. Like Davis, nither have a set position. But the pair may not lose as much as initially thought. For now, Lowrie and Luis Guillorme are the backups for shortstop Amed Rosario.

The New York Mets did not feel confident in Lowrie’s defensive ability when he re-joined the team for eight pinch-hit appearances in September, after missing almost the entire 2019 season with injuries. This spring training, he also did not make a single appearance and had a huge leg brace on his left leg.

If healthy, the Mets would like Lowrie’s bat available, but he may be better suited to play in the American League. One point to consider, if NYM would have had Judge when BVW became their general manager, it’s unlikely he would have needed to add Lowrie to the team. The team could have done something else with the two-years and $20M the paid him.

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Cespedes’ injury history is well known to Mets fans. As mentioned earlier, Judge has missed about one-third of each of the past two seasons. The mercurial 34-year-old would be an ideal replacement for Judge in the batting order. His most significant question mark would be playing in the field. Should he be unable to do so, they still have Davis.

If Pete Alonso and Aaron Judge swapped places, the Mets would be better defensively, have about the same lineup, and would get a little more depth. In a strange world, this would be an odd scenario for sure. It is interesting to think about.

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How do you think the New York Mets would fare with Aaron Judge instead of Pete Alonso? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.

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