The Mets and Pete Alonso have been in a staredown for a while but it seems the club is blinking. Andy Martino of SNY reports that they now expect him to sign elsewhere, with today’s agreement with Jesse Winker part of a plan to spread money around to various alternatives. Earlier today, Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Alonso’s market was heating up, with the Blue Jays and Mets involved, as well as a third unidentified team.
Alonso and the Mets have clearly had mutual interest in reaching a new deal for a long time, but without the ability to agree on a price point. The club reportedly offered him a seven-year, $158MM extension in the summer of 2023, but a deal didn’t get done. Since then, there have been changes on both sides of the negotiations. The Mets hired David Stearns to replace Billy Eppler atop their baseball operations department in September of 2023, with Alonso then hiring Scott Boras the following month.
During the 2024 season, the sides generally expressed admiration for each other but never seemed to make much effort to get an extension done. Alonso turned down a qualifying offer and became a free agent. Though he was connected to various teams in recent months, he never seemed to get a deal to his liking. Alonso’s camp reportedly pivoted to a short-term deal, pitching the Mets a three-year pact with opt-outs. The Mets seemed to be somewhat amenable to this framework but a gap on the money still prevented a deal from coming together.
In recent weeks, the Mets have also been connected to players like Winker, Anthony Santander, Alex Verdugo, Tanner Scott, Luis Arráez and Tim Hill. They also reportedly offered Teoscar Hernández a two-year deal before he returned to the Dodgers on a three-year pact.
Martino’s report compares the Mets’ current plans to those of the Yankees after missing out on Juan Soto, spreading money around to various players as opposed to one big splash. After Soto went to the Mets, the Yankees gave out deals to Max Fried and Paul Goldschmidt, as well as trading for Devin Williams and Cody Bellinger. They could have done some of those moves in conjunction with Soto but perhaps were more aggressive in those areas since they hadn’t tied up their resources with the one mega deal.
The Winker signing alone doesn’t stop the Mets from bringing back Alonso, as the two coexisted on the roster in 2024, with Alonso the regular at first as Winker spent time in the outfield corners and designated hitter slot. But there has been some reporting that the club wants to use some internal options at the corners. Mark Vientos was the regular third baseman last year and had a breakout year at the plate, but with subpar defensive metrics. He could perhaps move over to first, while the Mets use Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña to cover third base.
Perhaps things will change in the coming days but it now seems possible that the Mets are indeed prepared to walk away from Alonso. The earlier reporting from The Athletic indicated the Mets were in talks with various players and didn’t want the stalled Alonso negotiations to get in their way. While Winker doesn’t strictly block the path for Alonso to come back to Queens, it does seem to signal that the Mets are prepared to move on.
If it does indeed come to pass, it will be a surprisingly lackluster end to the Mets-Alonso relationship. He was a homegrown star with some New York roots and come up through the club’s system after being selected in the second round of the 2016 draft. He debuted with a big splash in 2019, hitting 53 home runs and also winning the home run derby. That campaign is now widely viewed as the juiced ball season, but Alonso continued to be a big homer threat in subsequent years.
Alonso now has 226 home runs over the past six seasons, second only to Aaron Judge in that time. He won another derby title in 2021 and was a staple of the club over their recent history, not having played less than 152 games in any full season.
During that time, the Mets went from a punchline to a powerhouse. While they were previously known for having middling budgets and results, Steve Cohen purchased the club ahead of the 2021 season and made them one of the top spenders in the league. They have made the playoffs in two of the past three years, with Alonso playing the hero last year. He hit four home runs in 13 playoff games just a few months ago, including the series-flipping homer off Williams to get the Mets past the Brewers and out of the Wild Card round.
But his star power in the media and general public seemed to outpace his popularity in today’s analytically-inclined front offices. While the home run power has been real, Alonso’s other contributions have been muted. His walk rates have been decent but not outstanding, he’s not a burner on the basepaths and his defense hasn’t been well regarded. His overall offense has also declined. While he hit .261/.349/.535 for a 137 wRC+ through 2022, he slashed just .229/.324/.480 for a 121 wRC+. FanGraphs considered him to be worth 2.1 wins above replacement last year, a solid but not elite number. There were 119 position players who were at 2.2 fWAR or higher last year.
It therefore seemed possible from the start of the offseason that Alonso would find his offers lacking in free agency. As part of MLBTR’s annual Top 50 list, we considered predicting Alonso for a deal along the lines of the three years and $80MM that Bellinger got from the Cubs last year after he lingered in free agency into February. We backed down from that prediction, putting 5/$125MM on Alonso, but it now appears he may well end up getting something like that deal. It just might be somewhere other than Queens.
It’s a bit of a surprising pivot, as the Mets have not been shy about spending since Cohen bought the team. While Stearns was in Milwaukee, he never spent a lot of money on first basemen, but he never had the resources he now has. Despite the deeper bank account, it still seems as though Stearns would prefer to invest in ways he considers wise. The club also didn’t play at the top of the starting pitching market, not signing guys like Fried or Corbin Burnes, instead taking risks on guys like Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes. Montas is coming off a down year while Holmes will be trying to pivot from the bullpen to the rotation.
All this will seemingly leave Alonso looking elsewhere for his next gig, with Toronto one possibility. The Jays already have a first baseman in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. but it doesn’t appear as though the plan would be to trade him. Per the reporting from The Athletic, the plan would be for Guerrero and Alonso to share first base and DH, with Guerrero occasionally crossing the diamond to play third base. Though the article from The Athletic says the Jays would “prefer” to hang onto Guerrero, Rosenthal made an appearance on Foul Territory and more emphatically shot down the possibility of Guerrero being traded.
Though the fit would be a bit awkward, the Jays could use the power. Toronto’s offense was close to league average last year, but a lot of that was thanks to having a walk rate that was bested by only six other teams. In the home run department, they were actually one the worst clubs, ahead of just the Marlins, Rays, Nationals and White Sox.
They don’t really have a strict designated hitter, which perhaps provides a path for Alonso and Guerrero to share a lineup. Justin Turner was their primary DH for the first half of last year but he was traded to the Mariners at the deadline. It would make it a bit harder for the club to rest someone like George Springer, but it seems the Jays have some openness to it regardless. Guerrero taking the hot corner could allow greater flexibility, though he only has 104 innings there over the past five seasons. Most of that came late last year as the Jays were playing out the string on a lost season. It’s unclear how much willingness they have to put Guerrero there in meaningful games.
Financially, it seems the club still has powder dry. They reportedly had a strong offer on the table for Burnes as of a few weeks ago, before he signed with the Diamondbacks. Since then, they signed Jeff Hoffman to a three-year, $33MM deal, but that is surely well shy of what they were willing to pay Burnes.
It’s theoretically possible that signing Alonso could give the Jays some cover for the event they can’t sign Guerrero, an impending free agent, to an extension. But it seems highly likely that Alonso will be securing a deal with the ability to opt out after 2025, meaning he would only stick around for 2026 if he has a down year. They would likely prefer to have Guerrero locked up long term, since he’s significantly younger than Alonso, while seeing Pete walk away earlier.
There are surely other clubs in the mix as well. Alonso has been connected to the Giants, Red Sox and Angels in recent weeks. Teams like the Tigers, Athletics and Mariners make sense as speculative fits. Since Alonso rejected a QO, the Mets will receive a draft pick after the fourth round if he signs elsewhere. The penalty for the signing club will depend on their revenue-sharing status and whether they paid the competitive balance tax last year. Perhaps we will have clarity soon as the staring contest with the Mets appears to be ending.
This is the kind of spin you see a day or two before you see “Pete Alonso re-signs with Mets”.
1 year/5 million prove yourself deal with the Dodgers.
where would he play?
The Dodgers would probably play him as a ute… ; )
On the Dodgers new 2nd team obviously. Gonna be like the dr league with teams that have so much talent they need more than 1 team.
Minor league depth
@jpauly. Good question he will sign a one year deal and fire boras. He waited to long.
He could be the organist
@Logjammer D”Baggagecling: No way. They already have the best organist in the game
Dieter rules!!!
True
NO WAY! Dieter Ruehle Is the best in the business
Okay then. He can be a beer vendor and a hot dog vender at the very top of Dodgers Stadium.
40 years deferred
That wouldnt be smart at all. If he was willing to do only a 1 year deal I’m sure several teams would be in on his services and will to pay $20+m. Its paying that price for several years is what is keeping teams away. If Pete doesnt have a great season hes back on the market next year 1 year older and a lot less likely to sign for what he can get this year.
Same prove it deal, but with my Pads. Dodgers roster is full, although they (hypothetically) will find room for Roki (if he’s not a Pad like we think he will be!)
Dream on! No way Alonso takes Freeman’s place at 1B & DH is locked up with Ohtani & Dodgers wouldn’t even consider giving Alonso $5M to sit on bench & PH
Wait…TOR? They trading Vlad Jr to NYM or having him DH for his swan song? Not moving back to 3B – they wouldn’t.
Massive mistake. Should’ve been a met for life.
Absolutely not. 1 tool power hitters turn into Pumpkins by age 32. There isn’t a single guy with his profile who signed a big deal that didn’t become historically bad (see Chris Davis and Ryan Howard). Pete struck out 180 times last year, after striking out 128 times both in 21 and 22. His bat speed is falling off and he’s going to be a paperweight within 2 years
Chris Davis needed adderall (and previously had several below average years under his belt prior to the contract) and Howard tore his Achilles and was the worst defender in the entire league. Not sure how they compare to Alonso.
Offensively the comp works. Alonso’s toolset doesn’t age well. He’s significantly better than Howard defensively, but he’s still just a mediocre 1st baseman with tremendous power. The power is what ages poorly.
Completely agree with you. Adam Dunn hit over 400 HRs in his career but his last few years were sad. When Alonso drops off it will be steep and you’ll barely remember the player he used to be.
@Joe It All Fun Facts:
Adam Dunn unaccountably played the field in the NL for his first 11 seasons instead of being dealt to DH in the AL Result? His dWAR for those 11 years was negative 21.8.
His last 10 years in baseball he put up a negative 24.8 dWAR and a 23.3 offensive WAR while hitting 344 HR. He was so bad in the field he was a net negative despite teh HRZZZ.
Dunn’s negative -5.2 dWAR with the Nats in 2009 appears to be an MLB record.
Having a homegrown star to root for their whole career is worth more than a championship.
@Noah
epic troll! LOL
what kind of Loserville take is that?
NOAH: Having a homegrown star to root for their whole career is worth more than a championship.
L M A O
Sorry to say no one cares about that. And if you do, you are probably a loser franchise.
@Noah G It’s too bad, then, that Alonso stopped being a star no later than 2022.
Was he one, though, after 2019?
Power and hitting are two separate tools. So he’s got atleast two. And he’s was better than Davis was. Dude had a career year heading into free agency and was mediocre at best the rest of the time
Let Chris Carter be Alonso fans cautionary tale.
As a Phillies fan, Ryan Howard was the first comp I thought of with this Alonso negotiations. All power, nothing else. Howard was a hero for a few years but that faded quickly when his bat disappeared.
A far better hitter than Alonso, Howard wasn’t even in visible decline as of his age 29 season, but he was still toast after age 31.
Durable, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd finishes for MVP, he was done two years after a 145 OPS+.
Ruben Amaro Jr’s monster extension for Howard, something like 9 years close to $200m was one of the key reasons Amaro would be fired. Deservedly so. One of the worst GMs in baseball, had no truck with ‘advanced’ stats and openly despised Moneyball.
I won’t argue that the extension was premature, but let us not forget that the Achilles tear basically took him away from his game. Once a guy like him loses some of that awesome ability to plant and drive the ball, the rest of it falls away and he was never even close to being the same hitter.
And that injury occurred just as the extension kicked in. Without the crippling injury, we would have seen a far more gradual decline.
And while Ruben wasn’t the greatest GM around, he was hardly as bad as his devoted haters believe. He was more a symbol of how Phillies ownership operated at that time…basically he is a smart but flawed baseball guy with a bit too much ego, but overall a decent bloke.
Also the shift destroyed him. Teams started shifted him drastically and he it just ate up his hits.
Prime Howard would destroy in this no-shift era.
Agreed – the shift was a huge factor. But even with all of that, the Achilles just destroyed what he had left. I know that you saw it, but a lot of fans don’t realize how damned good that he was…he could have had a monstrous 7-10 year prime as a hitter, and it was cut short. He also was not a bad defender overall at first; great scoops and decent fielder with enough range except for the oopsie throwing issues. The leg issues exacerbated the defensive limitations as well.
Should have taken the $ Pete
Don’t screw this up Cohen. Stop bragging about how much money you have if you won’t pay Alonzo. You’re a phony.
Welp, big L for the Mets. Cohen needed his Soto flex in spite of a franchise icon. Ooof. No matter how they shore this up, it’s still nasty business. Like I said in the Pete poll, Alonso deserves some blame, too, but this is moreso on the Mets.
Wow, this thing got all Boras’d up!
Mariners?
They need a big bat in the big way but are cheap so it’s going to be difficult to see the fit
They recognize Pete’s no longer a big bat and will decline even more visibly in Seattle’s park.
I think Alonso might end up with the Angels or Seattle. My team for him was Washington but they traded for Lowe. Maybe the rangers sign him
Mariners have the biggest need for him, but they’re not paying anybody anything these days. Best they’ll do is a short term with opt out if that. M’s crying poverty for whatever reason.
Still time to change your vote in the poll
I voted “somebody else” with about 2 other people lol
I was one of the other two that you joined
Great minds, something… something… idk.
Wouldn’t mind that mystery team being the Orioles. O’s could use him and rotate 1b/dh with him. I love Mountcastle and think he’s a good team guy but he is very streaky and hasn’t shown up when it matters most.
Trade Mounty and International dollars for…? Hit us upppppp!
There’s no mystery team w/bags of money, that is Boras 101. Trying to get owner’s to bid against themselves.
The third unidentified team is the Dodgers who will give him 7/$210mm, but defer all the payments into $100/year installments starting in 2040
He’s not a dodger type of player
They’d have to defer his playing time until something like 2028, since they have a full time DH and Freddie Freeman at 1B for quite sometime.
Looks like a couple guys misunderstood your comment
actually, the Mets appear NOT to be “blinking”.
Fun fact: Mr. Met never blinks.
Mets declined alonso even on a short term deal? Even after he hit a monumental postseason HR? I just dont get it. 2-3 yrs was too much to bring back a franchise icon? Unless they trade for vladdy tomorrow this makes no sense
2-3 years at what salary and what other terms and conditions?
Yes, and (nearly) double that — due to the luxury tax. I know they just busted open the bank for Soto, but this becomes VERY expensive for signing Chris Davis. I mean, Alonso.
Mets appear to be looking to get Vlady in a trade or next year!
Still room for Pete if he moves drastically. Winker don’t play 1b. Pete wasn’t playing dh.
Good news in Toronto dollars he can get close to that 158m he turned down.
This is a Mets ploy! 100% he is a Met or they are a bunch of scumbags treating their own like crap and giving Soto a suite, premium seats and security!
Soto is projected to sell tickets. Obviously if Pete did they wouldn’t have given Soto so much.
When Pete elected FA, he became NOT one of their own. So why should the Mets treat him like he is?
Pando
Are ALL MLB teams that refuse to overpay Pete Alonso scumbags or just the Mets?
Blue Jays? To DH? Man they still need some lefty hitting.
Stearns be like Pete who?
The 3rd team is the Dodgers ….lol
Best news would be hearing him sign elsewhere. I’ve been saying the Mets need to move him his entire career. Saying that one tool power hitters age like milk would be offensive to milk. Both Chris Davis and Ryan Howard were the most dangerous power hitters in baseball at age 29 and paperweights by age 32. When you rely on 40-60 swings for your value and your bat speed falls off, those 40-60 swings become 20-30 swings and with no other tools you’re just a giant hole in the lineup
Cheddahbob, are Davis and Howard good comps though? Davis only had the one elite year. Howard was not the same kind of hitter and his body broke down (not saying that can’t happen to Alonso though)
It’s true–Howard was a far, far better hitter. In the four seasons before their age 30 seasons.
Howard 145 OPS, .278/379/589, 50 HR, 143 RBI
Alonso 131 OPS, .248/.336/499, 39 HR, 108 RBI
That’s not the club blinking, that’s the club signaling to Alonso that he needs to lower his asking price.
Correct, the author does not know the definition of someone blinking in negotiation
It’s the club telling Alonso to go away.
Stop the silliness. I thought Uncle Steve wasn’t going to get outbid. How do you get outbid when no one else is bidding on Alonso?
He didn’t get out bid
He can only outbid himself at this point
He’s the only one bidding so please explain how he was outbid. I’ll hang up and listen thanks.
@Johnny – I was laughing at Met fans who say Uncle Steve won’t get outbid for anyone.
No one else bidding for Alonso and they can’t or won’t close the deal for a homegrown player. Sign him already especially after you signed Soto.
There will be plenty of players that will have reasons to play elsewhere where the money is almost the same, geographical location, family issues, teams with better chance to win a WS and maybe taxes issue
As a Phillies fan, I was really worried when Cohen bought the team from the bumbling Wilpons, as it had been nice to be able to rely upon their general incompetence as an organization for quite a long time.
I still worry, as Daddy Warbucks can outspend just about anyone, but the early returns are mixed for sure. Creating a sound organization takes a lot of work, and it just might be that Cohen could end up being closer to the Jerry Jones type of ego-driven ownership rather than the professional ownership of the Dodgers.
More accurately, closer to the style of George Steinbrenner.
How are the returns mixed?
We’re in on every possible free agent for the first time since I’ve been alive, we made playoffs 2 out of last 3 years incl smacking your phils last year, we dramatically increased our prospect pool and signed Juan Soto for 15 years
Imagine the 2024 Mets with Cohen still playing GM and Eppler as his assistant.
And Soto at $765m? That wasn’t Stearns’ idea.
One of the problems with NYM in the Cohen era is also they didn’t have a good GM and or too much changeover. They had tried to bring Theo Epstein in as POBO for a couple of years
Their first year I think they didn’t want to get ripped off but they have to have the good judgement to stretch a little for an impact player especially when they have a gaping need and the timing is right
The first year they should have paid up to get Realmuto and Springer.
Originally I think Realmuto was asking for 200M and you saw what happened. They signed James McCann who only had 1 good year and PHI signed Realmuto
With Springer it came down to them and TOR. He is from the CT area.
They offered like 125M and TOR paid up to 150M.
Springers results I think would have been better if he was not playing on astroturf over concrete.
Mystery team = Reds. That’s my guess. First base is sort of open and they came into some money.
They are a definite possibility. However i think Alonso is stuck waiting for Bregman to sign so Boras could take Alonso (say Bregman signs with the Blue Jays or Cubs) to the Red Sox or Tigers as a consolation prize
Could be LAA, TOR, SF, MIL (Hoskins gets traded) and CIN
Longshots DET, PIT, TB (Yandy gets traded maybe)
If the Rays trade Yandy they aren’t going to spend on Alonso, that’s not the Rays way
That’s the one thing that the rays are missing , a big power bat
That’s why I put it under longshots
He is from Tampa FL.
I thought on a short term contract they might
Good move for the Bear to go to GABP for 1 year and feast on NL central pitching in the wonderful hitters park.
If he somehow puts up a better slash line of .245/.339/.490 w close to 50 bombs
Someone will offer him a multi year deal esp w QO gone
Even if the Reds were willing to pay for a year of Alonso, which I doubt, they’d also need to give up a draft pick since they’d be signing a player who rejected a QO. And draft picks are like gold to frugal small market teams like Cincy.
4 years @80 mill seems like the perfect offer for both sides here.
Thats too many years for a guy who is showing signs of decline for 2 consecutive seasons
Pete is making/going to make a TREMENDOUS mistake leaving the Mets. But, it’s his decision and he obviously wants his money very much so. Especially if he wants to hold on to that adorable wifey of his.
His long term financial outlook by staying a Met for life is much greater than going to play for a bottom dweller (e.g. Angels)
If I was Alonso and going the a short contract I would not go back to the Mets. He is a known product there and if the Mets don’t want to spend for him now they won’t to spend for him later.
Go to a new team show what you can do for an offensive with that 40 home run potential. His presence in the line up is worth more than the Mets realize.
Let the Mets realize that without Alonso; Soto not going have that protection in the Mets lineup.
As the Mets stand now if I was a team I would pitch around Soto make someone else come through
Soto hitting 2nd and Lindor hitting 3rd is still pretty good
The addition of a healthy Mauricio, Acuna and Baty (the least 2 in a part time role would be a big boost to the NYM offense)
They will add one other semi major addition at 1B or 3B
More likely a 1B because potentially they have better candidates for 3B in the law firm of Vientos, Baty and Mauricio and maybe Iglesias.
One of Yandy Diaz, Arenado, Hoskins, Torkelson, Mountcastle, O’Hearn, Casas, Wade Jr
This is not an anti-Alonso sentiment as I love the guy, but this entire regular season was about as not clutch as you can get. I work with a bunch of Mets fans and we would come in every day just completely at a loss on his performance this year and how every single day he would not come through in the clutch – not even a sac fly in a big spot, just chasing garbage.
Sure, personally I think he was putting too much pressure on himself, but isn’t that part of the calculus? When I think of the Protection that we ultimately need to provide Juan Soto, his performance this year just didn’t convince me he’s the guy to go all out on.
Keep in mind that our other cornerstone player, Lindor has already shown he really isn’t a middle of the order player, and he was never “himself” as a Met unless he was batting early in the lineup so we need to choose wisely who we invest in to be that guy.
Again, I love Alonso but looking at things rationally, I’d put money on Mark Vientos and maybe even Alvarez down the line being better producers in the years to come. Just not worth a crazy investment.
Alonso has his place in Mets lore to be sure, but when you go with Boras, this is basically what you’re asking for. I wish him the best and for his sake I hope he has us all missing him. See you on Old Timer’s Day guy!
I dont think vientos hitting behind soto will be much fall off from pete. I do think people have begun to undervalue him though and the mets will miss that power. He was basically a lock for 40/100 and 800-850 ops until last year. Thats not as easy to find as some are implying. He may not age well from here so i dont mind them walking away, but replacing his run production is another story.
Benjamin101677
Minimal impact on Soto. His bat is elite with or without protection. Better with, of course, but you are talking about the difference between Alonzo and whoever bats behind Soto in his place, not a vacuum.
This makes me happy.
The Mets don’t “expect” Alonso to sign elsewhere as he and Boras have been camped out on Stearn’s lawn since the offseason began. They are hoping that by re-signing Winker that Boras will take the hint and shop his client elsewhere
Orioles could be a nice place for a one year rebound. Texas maybe? They love them some lumberjack type power hitters.
How does no one see this is being leaked by the Mets get him to sign. They want him to call their bluff and he has no market, no matter what Boras says. He’s going to fold and take whatever it is they offer. Similar reports happened 2 years ago with Nimmo and then he signed
It’s literally what the first comment said and it has some 40 likes. Maybe read prior comments before posting ??
They expect him to sign elsewhere? Where?
Rent-a-Polar-Bear this season at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park…and Petco?!?!?
Yeah, his nickname would be a fav in SD
I think he could get acquainted with the Western Metal building.
The Higgy Bank needs a new handle…
The Bear’s Brickhouse? Uh that’s bad, let’s call it a work in progress…
I know folks at the SD Zoo and will present ideas. could bring the real bears to Petco to play with Pete, would top Bark in the Park Day, or we could combine for effect…. go with Zappa theme invite his Moon Unit to sing on Yellow Snow Day, ~ “At Pete Alonzo’s pancake breakfast, where I stole the mar-juh-reen…”
“Pete Alonzo”
“Pete Alonzo”
“Pete Alonzo”
“St Alfonzo”
“Oo-ooo-Wah”
Etc,
These are the perks AJP should be on phonzo now
…
1 unchained polar bear per dugout sounds fun… but cancel the idea if we don’t get Pete!
Coca-Cola porch “The Igloo” and marketing tie ins
Yogi Bear, Kung Fu Panda Smokey the Bear 7th Inning race like in Wash DC or MIL sausages race
Sacramento A’s
Ben Rice & Stroman for McNeil
Mets get a 1st baseman / pitcher
Yankees shore up their infield
lol zero chance of the Mets wanting him back
Both teams would be insulting one another if that offer ever came to fruition.
@Cash – No thanks, don’t even want McNeil even up for Stroman. Salaries almost the same if Stroman opts in and McNeil is bought out.
No need to add anyone else. Plus 2nd basemen in their 30’s isn’t a very successful demographic.
You knew the divorce was coming!!!!!
That’s fine, because now there is a chance for him to land in Bird-Land!!!
I would be happy!!!
Would most BAL be in favor depending on the details of course
What ever Years and Total $.
I think I’d rather have Mountcastle, O’Hearn and one of their young stars
I wonder if Mets would consider Vientos at 1B and trade for Arenado?… not that they should necessarily but Arenado’s shorter term remaining contract and his still very useful defense and although declining still decent offense might be better than in house options for now.
@die defunctorum Arenado’s not the answer. He’d make an old team even older, and deprive the Mets of the one slot on the diamond where their young guys can produce for almost nothing in salary.
At best the Cardinals would eat only 20% of Arenado’s salary, leaving the Mets on the hook for around 3/60m.
2025 projections, fangraphs:
3B Arenado 2.5 fWAR in 150 games, 20m
3B Baty 2.0 fWAR in 501 PA $1m
3B Mauricio 0.5 fWAR in 147 PA $900k
@JackStrawb – Ok, that’s a fair estimate. Although I may have misunderstood how much of Arenado’s salary the Cards are paying. When i look at baseball-reference it looks like his future salaries combined are $74M but the Rockies eat $10M dropping the Cards share to $64M. If they did eat 20% that would leave the Mets share at just over $51M for three years. Also, not sure if Baty will achieve that WAR but it’s certainly possible. I just thought Arenado was a better bet but maybe not.
@die defunctorum Good point about the Rockies. I should have been clearer, that the Cardinals aren’t going to eat any more money than it takes to get Arenado down to the 3/60m they appear to believe he’s worth.
They’re not entirely wrong. A 2.5 fWAR player is typically worth a $15-22m AAV on a 3 year deal in FA at one of the semi-premium positons (RF, 3B, 2B)
You can argue his decline has been rapid and he might fall off the cliff quickly, but at the same time he’s a HOFer who put up a remarkable 8 wins in 2022, so if he bounces back even a little he might deliver a 3 to 5 win season in 2025.
Still, his projection in most systems of a 2.5 fWAR season in 2025 seems right, so it depends on where you think the Mets are. Are they close enough to the 3rd wildcard or to winning the division that you’re willing to pay a premium to lock in those 2-3 wins you think Arenado is more likely to deliver (if that’s the case here) than the two young players who have yet to succeed in MLB? There’s a lot to be said for that, and if the Mets could get Arenado for one year, they might well decide he’s worth the 20m investment. Three years, though, blocking the likeliest route for young players, that’s a lot more for them to give up.
Which team is going to give up one or two draft picks for a one year rental of Pete? Three years and no opt-out and a limited NTC? He might get a bite then.
Good point. I forgot about the QO and got too excited.
Mystery team..
“The Mets and Pete Alonso have been in a stare down for a while but it seems the club is blinking.” You have this backwards. Holding one’s position and looking at alternatives is not “blinking.” Caving in to the player’s offer is blinking. On the other hand, you can get 25-35 HR at 1b a lot cheaper than $30M/yr. too.
Pete got 7yr 158 mil offer before boras
Cant even get short term agrmnt after boras
Hmmm
This has Arte Moreno written all over it…. Pain
If Pete is a free agent again next year, he will have 1 year contracts for the rest of his playing career
I understand that Alonso’s upside, especially on a long-term deal, is not great, but the 3-year deal with opts out seemed reasonable enough and would have put the Mets in a great position to compete. Even with the Soto signing, I don’t think the Mest can compete against teams like the Dodgers unless they sign another star like Bregman. I refused to feel positive about a team that is throwing Baty in at 3rd
The 3-year deal is only reasonable if the AAV is low enough. Especially if the opt outs are only for Pete.
What were you saying about Vientos last year?
Ha ha.Mets are giving Boras a bit of Boras.
I wish the Reds would sign him.
They already gave up one pick so it wouldn’t hurt as bad. Then they wouldn’t have to pay the signing bonus on the next pic they gave up either
Heard a guy on Atlanta radio suggest the Braves sign Pete to a 4-5 year deal as a DH and and slot Ozuna in the outfield. This guy suggested that the Braves wont be able to afford Ozuna next season and having Ozuna in the outfield this season cant be worse than trying Soler there last season. I’ve heard crazier ideas.
Wouldn’t that money be better spent replacing Fried’s and Morton’s innings while hoping for offense to rebound from injuries?
As a Braves fan, absolutely!!! However, Im thinking the Braves are just going to ride with what they have until they see what Strider has.
Why do people even think Alonso’s going to be in baseball in 4-5 years?
“Ozuna has been great at DH. Let’s see if we can’t get him hurt playing bad defense in the OF!”
This is a total flex by Cohen.
“Oh, you called the Athletic and said Pete’s got a strong market, Scott?”
“Nancy, call SNY and tell them I(!) think Pete’s going to HAVE TO sign elsewhere.”
lol
Sources say he will sign with the Pirates on a 1-year deal.
He would go to Oakland of some team w a hitters park before going to the pirates.
Yes I know your joking, but it would be nice for the Pirates to have a legit middle of the order bat to go w all that pitching
We were talking about Alonso.
Are you saying Oakland is a hitters’ park?
If you keep it fair in Oakland you can circle the bases at your leisure.
Welcome to the Milwaukee Brewers.
I have a really bad feeling Arte is going to go full Arte again and sign Alonso.
Nothing against Pete, but he’s nowhere near enough to make us competitive and the 46th overall pick is tough for me to give up.
That’s only half Arte. Full Arte is signing Alonso and giving Tanner Scott four years and then dumping him along with prospects next season bc the lack of saves opportunities doesn’t justify his salary.
Aaaaaaaaa.!!!!! Arte don’t do it! Perry take away Arte’s phone or at least block Boras! Remind Arte about Rendon(e) again and again and again!
Perry should put pictures of Rendon, Hamilton, Pujols, Wells, Harvey, and Matthews Jr. in Arte’s office and bedroom.
Yes!… ummm, no wait. I can see Arte waking up thinking “Ya know I miss these guys! Maybe they would come out of retirement… even Rendon(e)… I thought I signed him but I hardly ever see him… I wonder where he is these days??”
Scott would look good in angel red whether u guys like it or not
Agreed but the Angels will need quality innings first in the front end to make him look even better in red.
I really like Scott. He’d be a great addition on a competitive club.
Cohen should open his wallet for Scott. He’s like kryptonite for Ohtani. Pairing him with Diaz makes a very formidable closer tag team.
Reports out there say Angels and Pete were talking 2 years 50 mil but one side rejected the offer. They have been actively trying which hurts
Good move for Mets if true. Good the Blue jays needed something after losing out on Sasaki
This clears the way for Keith Hernandez to come out of retirement.
He’s really good in super mega baseball. He’s the MVP of my legends squad
They blinked, and then they winked. Still seems like they could bring Alonso back to me.
At this point Boras is going to have to pull a rabbit out of his hat. If Mets do walk away & go in a different direction Alonso (and Boras) have very few options left.
I’m sure there are teams who might consider Alonso but at what cost – certainly not at what Boras & Alonso want.
Hope Bregman is keeping a close eye on how Alonso’s FA has been going bc it appears he’s going down the same path. Especially since Bregman says he’s not considering short term deal.
Jays might for Vlad insurance
There are plenty of teams. Mets fans are fooling themselves if they think he’s coming back with hat in hand. In fact the Mets front office doesn’t want to sign him. Simple reality.
Should have manipulated his service time when he first came up.
It was the one thing the Wilpon Mets did that wasn’t a pathetic joke.
Granted, they did it in hopes of pumping up franchise value on their way to selling the team, but at the time it seemed honorable.
How exactly does throwing an extra year of control into the garbage “pump up franchise value?” Wouldn’t the new owner like to control Alonso for 2025? It certainly couldn’t hurt because arb years don’t have buyouts.
Rumour has it that he’s currently getting outfitted for snowshoes…
If there was going to be a deal, it would have been done by now. I think Pete is going to regret not coming back to the Mets when he had the chance. I wish the Mets would sign Bregman for third and Vientos going to first.
Alonso and Bregman taking the Snell and Montgomery route of last off-season?
I lived through the Dave Kingman years. Don’t need to do it again. If he wanted to be a Mets player he would’ve accepted the deal offered last year. It’s not about being loyal to players from your farm system, it’s about winning!!
Ideally it’s about both, but it was Alonso who threw this one away. Had he signed in 2023-2024 the Mets would be stuck with him. They dodged a bullet, and here we are.
It would be funny if Alonso went to Japan, seriously.
How about Korea or Sacramento?
The 5th Alonso article since 1/9.
Honestly the Mets would probably be better off with Vientos at 1B and Baty at 3B. I don’t think Stearns is the type to make a sentimental signing for a marginal upgrade.
This. Or acquire a league average 3B somewhere with Baty as bait, which seems doable.
Better from what perspective?
I’m not arguing, I’m just asking.
I’m not saying that’s not true, but I think there’s a big assumption vientos can play a competent 1b or that baty can actually hit major league pitching.
Financially it would be fantastic if that scenario panned out (or Mauricio or acuna could play 3b), but I have my doubts.
I also think Pete could benefit from having Soto hit in front of him and he lengthens that lineup.
After lindor Soto vientos the lineup takes a huge dip with the likes of Nimmo Alvarez McNeil Siri Marte/Winker
Pete should’ve taken that offer last season 7yr and $157M. Snooze you Lose. Looking at teams that need a 1st basemen. There not going pay him $30M or so that he wants. Dodgers, Yankees and Cubs got the $ but they got plan in place. Really best place for him get most $ possible would be the Jays . Jays can trade Vlady to Mets.
Or Vlad can play 3rd. Missing the Giants, who are a very good fit. Ditto Angels, who can move Schanuel to the OF/DH.
Signs with the Mariners on a 10 year/five million dollar (total) contract. There’s a rumor.
I think it’s the A’s – have a feeling maybe they’ll flip Soderstrom to the padres for Cease etc.
Would be an instant WS contender with Alonso and Cease in tow
Would be a 90 loss team.
Not a lot of teams where Pete can go. That week in December where a bunch of 1B got signed or traded to pretty much hurt his free agency. Mets aren’t going to outbid themselves.
There are teams. You should take this report – if it’s true of course – as the Mets saying they don’t want him. Pure and simple. It’s been obvious all along if you connect the dots, but the Mets apparently told a reporter the truth now, accidentally or not.
And honestly, it’s a good call.
There are teams, I agree, just not many willing to pay the premium asking price. But yeah, I think Pete isn’t coming back to the Mets now. If that offer from a year ago is legitimate, Pete should have taken it in my opinion.
What if a team like Baltimore would come in out of nowhere
Pete’s finding out his real price is 3/50-60m. Nobody cares about the HR from 2019 when the ball was juiced.
Was he thinking he was gonna get a Freeman type deal?
Pete thought he was going to get a Judge-sized deal.
I thought that under the new CBT it was not allowed to tell the media “we are not after X agent”.
With the 765MM mets paid to Soto they could have had Soto, Manea, Alonso (3 year deal), and a bullpen arm. At least 225MM over paid to Soto, and now they have to fill the rest of the team.
They didn’t say that.
Vladi wants to be Soto’s wingman. Make bank and ride shotgun right to the Hall of Fame.
LOL
Vladdy as wingman?!?!
Vlad Jr might pull a like father like son , might sign with the angels
Wouldn’t that be something? I think it is.a fantasy, though I would be happy about it.
Harold Reyonlds said it on the MLB network the other day
I have not been impressed with Vlad and would rather have Pete for 3 years than Vlad for 10 years. Vlad has had too many up and down seasons.
In terms of apples and how far they fall from the tree, Vlad I and Vlad II appear to be very different. I see Vlad II turning into Prince Fielder.
He’s a Met. I can’t imagine him elsewhere. just get it done.
Toronto signing him makes absolutely no sense. If Guerrero is your guy, then just get it done.
Such a greedy a-hole
He should sign where he can hit bombs. Colorado, Toronto etc. Pump those numbers on a short term deal.
Hope Pete likes Tim Hortons
Who doesn’t? They’re great.
Twins will sign him…….
Rich Gedman. Just stay on your damn team already. Fire your agent, swallow your ego, and get it done. Even Varitek told Boras he was staying with the Red Sox. And this is the team that lost Fisk on a stupid mistake.
I don’t blame the Mets one bit. Alonso been sold a bill of goods by Boras.
Alright Giants, overpay for two years
Jim Thome from age 30-39 hit 356 HR
Similar dude. Just sayin.
By age 29
Thome 233 HR
Alonzo 226 HR
Think teams under value Pete and his potential.
Sterns has no interest in Pete. When they hired Stearns it was obvious every time he was interviewed that he had little enthusiasm when speaking about Pete. What drives me crazy is Sterns penny pinching when he has the richest owner in baseball. Sterns probably didn’t;t want Soto either but Steve Cohen made it clear to get him. The pitching staff is a joke for next season and there is a lot less pop in the line up. The bullpen is a mess too. I want to believe in Sterns after we made the playoffs, but lightening never strikes twice in the same place!
Cohen didn’t hire Stearns so he could spend like a drunk sailor. Just cause Cohen is one of the richest owners in baseball doesn’t mean he’s gonna spend like a fool. Stearns is a smart GM so trust the process.
Hey, I get it but when you spend all that money on Juan Soto who isn’t even a top 5 MLB player, and then you insult a homegrown player who has done nothing for the most part but produced for you, I think that is a problem. Sterns is a smart guy, but I think he let last season go to his head. HE got extremely lucky that things happened the way they did. The rotation this year though is not a competitive rotation that will bring your team into the playoffs. They don’t have a very strong line up and the bullpen is a joke. He should have met them at 75 million for three years with another ten million in incentives.
Outside of Soto, since Sterns took over the Mets really haven’t went after the big fish, content with smaller signings.
I think Mets fans need to come back down to earth if they expect the team to sign a bunch of big names, cause Sterns hadn’t shown that’s something he wants to do outside of Soto that is.
The Blue Jays are always finalists for a free agent they aren’t going to sign him
Yankees get him to DH at the right price. Trade Stanton to the Angels for Trout it sends both players to where they’re from. Gives Trout a shot at playoffs at this point in his career. The Angels would have to eat some money in the deal.
Trout would never swim to a ship organization like the Yankees.
“FanGraphs considered [Alonso] to be worth 2.1 wins above replacement last year, a solid but not elite number. There were 119 position players who were at 2.2 fWAR or higher last year.”
——————————————
2024:
Jesse Winker 2.0 bWAR – 1/$8m
Pete Alonso 2.6 bWAR – asking 3/$90m
Such a tough call.
Alonzo and Bregman could be good fits for short-term deals
for the the A’s and Marlins
(2 teams that need to spend some money or lose their revenue sharing).
t
27-30M for 3 or 4 years with opt outs after years 1, 2, 3.
(for each player).
What gives teams pause is Alonso’s increasing strikeout rate over the last three years; 128/151;/172. This is along with a reduction in RBIs from. 131/118/88. As a Giants fan who sees a need for an impact bat at 1B/DH/OF, I think he’s worth 3yrs @$75-80M with opt outs. I love the Adames signing and I’m OK with giving Verlander a shot, but the Gmen can’t settle with mediocrity in the starting rotation or 1B/DH/OF.
I agree that his strikeouts have been on a rise but his rookie year when he hit 50+ home runs, he struck out over 180 times. I’m not excusing it but our lineup looks a lot better with him in it than with him out of it. I think why not do a short term deal with opt outs and the sprinkle in performance incentives. He is an important part of the team and the clubhouse. The fans for the most part want him back. They need to get it together and make a deal.
Where’s @MetsSchmets?
Check please!
Love watching the Ken Rosenthal Memorial Fantasy League play amongst themselves.