Pete Alonso’s market hasn’t come together the way he and agent Scott Boras had hoped just yet, though there’s still more than a month until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, leaving ample time for a deal to come together and still afford Alonso a normal spring training. One element that’s likely impacted things, as with any high-profile free agent, is trepidation from teams in terms of asking price. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com has previously suggested that the Boras Corporation has used contracts like Prince Fielder (nine years, $214MM) as a point of comparison in negotiations.
Boras firmly pushed back on that this morning in comments to SNY’s Andy Martino. Boras tells Martino that “10-year-old contract” like Fielder’s simply “is not relevant to the current Alonso negotiations.” (Fielder’s contract is actually 13 years old, though that only further hammers home the point Boras is making.)
Even with that pushback, it’s likely that years have been the holdup in talks regarding Alonso. The Mets famously offered him a seven-year, $158MM extension in 2023. That included Alonso’s final arbitration season (2024), wherein he was paid $20.5MM. He’d need to top $137.5MM over the next six seasons in order to come out ahead in that bet on himself.
Of course, that doesn’t all need to come in the form of one contract. We’ve seen plenty of free agents in the past find more tepid interest than anticipated in free agency, take an opt-out laden deal, and come out ahead over the course of multiple contracts. It’s not the ideal course of action for most players, but it can certainly work to the player’s benefit.
More specifically, that course of action has been common for both high-end and mid-level Boras clients. It doesn’t always work — just ask Jordan Montgomery — but there are plenty of success stories.
Matt Chapman, Blake Snell, Carlos Rodon and Carlos Correa are all recent examples. Chapman took a three-year, $54MM deal with opt-outs in San Francisco and mashed his way into a $151MM extension. He’ll ultimately earn $169MM over a seven-year term. Snell took two years and $62MM from the Giants last winter after reportedly rejecting a Yankees offer in the $150MM range. (He’s since contended the number was well shy of that.) He opted out and landed $182MM from the Dodgers, bringing his six-year earnings to $214MM (albeit with nearly a third of it deferred). Rodon opted out of the second season of his own two-year, $44MM deal with the Giants and cashed in with $162MM in the Bronx. Correa signed a three-year, $105.3MM deal in Minnesota, opted out and went through a strange free agent odyssey that still resulted in an additional $200MM guaranteed from Minnesota, even after a pair of failed physicals in San Francisco and Queens.
It’s not yet clear whether Alonso will ultimately go that route, but former Mets GM Jim Duquette (2003-04), now with MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, reports that Boras and Alonso have pitched an opt-out laden three-year deal to the Mets — and the Mets alone. Even with that reported offer from the player’s camp, Duquette suggests no deal is close for now.
A three-year deal for the Mets — something in the Cody Bellinger mold — would make plenty of sense for both parties. New York would retain the NL home run leader dating back to Alonso’s big league debut and do so without needing to commit long-term to a 30-year-old first baseman who offers minimal defensive/baserunning value. Pairing Alonso and Juan Soto in the heart of the Mets’ order would be formidable.
For Alonso, he’d secure multiple seasons at an annual rate presumably higher than anything available to him on a lengthier deal. Bellinger’s $80MM deal guaranteed him $60MM over the first two seasons of the three-year term if he chose to forgo the first opt-out (which he did). An identical construct for Alonso would mean that, including the $20.5MM he earned in his final arbitration season, he could have $53MM from 2024-25 or $80.5MM from 2024-26. If the aim is to topple the $158MM he rejected in 2023 (which, again, would’ve covered the 2024-30 seasons), he’d be well on his way.
Additionally, Alonso would have the opportunity to improve on a down showing in 2024 that has surely hindered interest. The slugger didn’t have a bad season; his .240/.329/.459 slash was 22% better than league-average, by measure of wRC+. His 34 home runs were a clear plus mark. But Alonso’s past two seasons haven’t been as dominant as he was from 2019-22, when he hit a combined .261/.349/.535 (37% better than average).
A 2025 showing more in line with that form would potentially set Alonso up for a much larger payday — and do so on the heels of a premium salary in 2025. He’d also have the benefit of reentering the open market without a qualifying offer and the associated draft pick compensation hanging over his head. Players can only receive one QO in their career, and Alonso rejected one from the Mets back in November.
Negotiations will speed up once teams are eliminated from the Roki sweepstakes.
Roki isn’t holding anything up. His earning potential is capped at a very low AAV.
Agreed
Prince Fielder comps? Uhhh, yea that sounds about right. What a maroon, Ahahahahaha!
And Fielder has a BA and OBA of 40+ points more in each. Simply put, Fielder was a better hitter.
Are you saying he was left somewhere?
You’re looking at it backwards. Signing Alonso limits a team’s ability to sign Roki.
Signing Alonso limits a team’s ability to sign Roki.
======================
Every team will have a bid on Roki. Barring injury, Miami could sign him and trade him to the RS for Mayer the next day.
And adding a good FA only enhances a team’s appeal.
You don’t know what you’re talking about so just stop.
@JoeBrady You really think any team will conceivably flip Roki upon signing? That shuts the door on them to sign any future league min. Japanese talent.
YankeesBleacherCreature
You really think any team will conceivably flip Roki upon signing?
=========================
Absolutely not. It was a response to es7129 saying “Signing Alonso limits a team’s ability to sign Roki.”. No one is turning down Roki over the $6-7M it will cost.
Good points. Mets are just playing the waiting game since they have the upper hand with no real Market for Alonzo. He probably resigns with the Mets on a 3 or 4 year deal with opt outs in seasons 2 and 3. Probably $30 M AAV. Always nice to see Boras in the passenger seat.
As much as I dislike this guy, he going to be a good sign for the team that pulls the trigger.
Yes but would be surprised if he gets 4 years
Actually, if a team gets Roki they may pivot to a much more “win now” approach. Which may then pivot them to be willing to spend more on Alonso than before, hence heating up his market. So it depends on which lens you use to view what is determining what.
Rosaki has nothing to do with Alonso’s market. He’s a pitcher and one that will cost next to nothing. Teams aren’t holding tight onto cash for Rosaki.
They’re holding their international bonus pool money for Roki. Why would a team gamble with the $500k?
If that 500k is so important to him no reason for the hold up. Small market flyover teams have the superior bonus pool $ and aren’t interested in Pete.
In this case, they’re unconnected. Alonso will make a very nice salary, but the high end of the market simply isn’t there. If he can get a 3/75 from the Mets, but front loaded so it’s something like 30, 30, 15 with opt outs after years one and two, he should leap at it. He can re-enter the market with a hopefully stronger season, and the Mets can benefit if he opts out so they can pursue Vlad. That’s their strategy. Pay big for younger impact guys.
As it was reported in this article, Alonso was reportedly offered 3/90 by the Mets. Why would he now take 3/75?
3/90 with no opt outs and 3/75 with opt outs and a front-loaded salary are comparable but at that point just offer him 2/60 with opt out.
It didn’t say 3/90 with no opts outs. Martino said 3/90 with an opt out after the 1st year.
Because that deal doesn’t have to still be on the table. Nor should it. Leverage sometimes works FOR a player, and it ought to work against him as well when it dries up.
In this case, Alonso’s ‘suiters’ seem to be the ubiquitous mystery team and passing interest by the Giants and Blue Jays.
I’d be offering 3/75 (at best) with opt outs, with the clear message in the coming days, I expect to be pivoting elsewhere – Bregman, Arenado or even my own internal Baty/Mauricio.
I am altering the deal. Pray I don’t alter it any further.
^ the force is strong with this one ^
The market can change at any time, but as of now, Stearns has played the Alonso market perfectly.
Yup. Seems like Alonso is most valuable to the Mets, and they’re probably the best offer. I’d assume that’s going like “until you show me an offer that meets or exceeds ours, good luck”.
He certainly has value, but I don’t see teams going higher than the younger Olsen for Pete.
The problem with Olsons contract is it wasn’t an actual free agent contract I’m sure he would have got more on the open market. I honestly would prefer the higher AAV contracts as a player. It’s not like Alonso won’t get another contract in 3 years or less.
Stearns has played the Alonso market perfectly.
Easy to do when his market is so weak. Should have taken the $ Pete
No team is going higher than Olsen’s and Freeman’s deal. Alonso took a gamble and lost. It was his choice to be repped by Boras. Take a pillow contract with an opt-out and try again next year. It worked out nicely for Snell and Chapman. Bellinger is yet to be determined. Monty as well but he likely left total money on the table last offseason as far as future earnings are concerned.
Translation: Boras wants someone to offer Alonso the Bellinger deal ASAP because he and his client are getting antsy.
Just don’t fool around with the opt outs. What’s the odds of him getting athletic or hitting the ball hard. Actually give him the opt out. He was stupid enough to turn down extension he might be stupid enough to opt out.
So the update is nobody wants to pay him what he wants.
He’s not willing to leave the Mets, so he has no bargaining power.
Not much of a update. No one wanted to pay him what he wants for years.
Not willing to leave the Mets because he loves it there and will take less $ to stay there or realizes no other team will pay him more?
Waiting cost, the Mets from signing Hoffman; who is now off the board for relatively cheap! That was my concern in waiting on Pete as many sports columnists pointed out.
How many more opportunities are the Mets going to miss out on?
Canosucks
How did a 1B prevent the signing of a reliever on a team with a limitless budget?
#PiazzaParty That is to simplistic with the luxury tax and penalties.
If you were right why didn’t the Mets offer Pete a billion dollars and every other free Agent a billion dollars.
Why not sign Ohtani when he was available 10 billion dollars?
Not an unlimited payroll; get real
Cano
Why are you even mentioning the luxury tax? It’s irrelevant to this. They’re still like 50-70M below the threshold they were at last year.
So again: an offer to a 1B of 20-30M + a reliever deal, even a major one, doesn’t even reach the FLOOR of the budget from last year, why would you say or think Pete would restrict the Mets from getting a reliever or vice versa?
If you could answer, without changing the discussion or moving goalposts, I’d be interested in what you have to say.
Also you asked “why didn’t they offer a billion dollars?” While saying I’m being too simplistic which is rich. That’s being pedantic about the word “limitless” which you obviously know because you’re not a child.
Continued decline in a platform year.
Best of luck to ya
To me he looks like he could be Adam Dunn without the OBP here fairly soon. 3 years? That’s cool. If he wants back with the Mets..and they want him. It might just not be a super pressing concern. That Bellinger deal is about right. Teams are smart enough now not to lay a guy like this large change when he’s 36-37
Dude the balls had nothing to do with his inability to lay off literally anyone’s slider.
He put up the same 123 OPS+ in 2024 that he did in 2023 . And he put up a 122 OPS+ in the shortened 2020. So, 3 of 6 seasons this is who he is. I don’t think he underperformed so much as he revealed his true self.
Yes indeed Mr Monroe
Gamma Raymond,
Are you heading to Area 51 next to continue your search for conspiracies and cover-ups?
Agree. Really foolish to suggest MLB “orchestrated” something nefarious.
LOL! So the commissioner, and 30 owners, got together to deaden the ball to reduce Alonso’s salary?
decline vs what was orchestrated by MLB
=======================
So how did MLB orchestrate Alonso’s decline?
Joe,
The conductor, first chair cellist, and second chair violinist are the primary suspects.
Ray,
Why don’t you just tell us about Lindor’s “down year” versus expecting us to interpret what you mean?
Your meaning isn’t obvious, especially since you don’t say what year. Are you saying MLB decided to put “low-performance” balls in play whenever Lindor batter in 2021? Occam’s Razor says this is absurd.
Resorting to insults about letting “the adults talk” and calling me a fool indicates your own insecurity and need to lash out. If you can’t back up your assertion with data, why should anyone give your wild theory any credence?
So, no data or evidence to support your wild assertion. Got it, genius.
“There is. Ive seen the work. I know. ”
So you have the evidence but won’t share it. Okay…
You made this “offer” to the rest of the readership but expect them to read your mind to know what specifically you’re referring to. Sounds like you’re the one playing “smart boi internet warrior.,” pretending to have knowledge others must go to the mountaintop to seek.
Sorry I’m not more interesting, but I’m the only one willing to interact with you to this extent. Maybe if you actually told us what you’re talking about, there could be a conversation.
As is, I’m supposed to ascertain what specific differences between stats from 100 years apart are meaningful – as well as deduce the fact that your comparison starts with the game from 100 years ago! – so I can have a glimpse into your tremendous insight.
Just say what you mean. Otherwise, I’m done wasting my time replying to you so you can continue to claim special wisdom that so far you haven’t shown an ounce of.
I’m heartbroken to have lost the opportunity to glean even just a tiny fraction of your infinite wisdom. Or not.
Raymond Flagstaff
The ball changes year to year sometms mo th to month
==========================
Of course the ball changes year-to-year. But it does for everyone. He was a 140 OPS+ player for 4 years, and has been a 123 OPS+ player for the past two years. That decline is relative to the entire league.
I wonder what the dollars are in the Alonso contract proposal? You’d think the Mets would be amenable to three year deal?
The Mets offered him a 3/90. I’m sure they are going to just work out the details for opt outs.
If Alonso wanted a 3 year deal set up like the Bellinger deal…I’d have him signed probably. Guessing that’s the Mets deal he’s giving them. SF..Boston. probably still trying to get a guaranteed deal at the moment.
I don’t think SF or Boston was really in one him. That was Boras trying to get the Mets to give him more years.
Me? I think this is all just going on with him and the Mets. Media needs something to fill space m. I just can’t see any team going longterm on him. Anegls aren’t doing that stuff now for Boras. Why Boston would want him is a mystery. But they then could flip some prospects…probably have him and Arenado.
My thing is. If he wants the Bellinger deal. 3 years..opt outs. Cohen tips larger than that. You atleast don’t have to spend on a 1B for another season.
Makes me feel like this is a lot of nothing. Ballinger was like that too. He was down here working out with Matt Holliday in the off-season then. Media made all these speculations. But all along he was cool….he and the Cubs weren’t in any rush.
What if they have their eyes on Vlady next year?
How is it that it took MLBTR this long to put up what’s had the NY media a buzz since yesterday with this 3 year opt out deal Boras allegedly has offered the Mets only, and then proceeded to bury that lede 7 paragraphs in????
Guys, what??? That should have been not only your opening, but in your title. Apologies, but that’s very bad reporting, folks.
You were forced at gunpoint to read this right?
And post?
You’ve never heard of criticism, have you?
The Alonso story that was most important in the last 24 hrs (that again they were super late on) they waited 9 paragraphs to get to. That’s not good reporting and writing. It’s that simple.
I hope he gets a $20 bill and no more
You might feel differently in another year when you’re Sean-12.
That rejected extension is going to come back to haunt him. Even with a 3 yr deal with opt outs, Pete still needs to perform and prove himself. He bet on himself already once and that pressure seemed to affect him poorly(one can assume). Pete is taking a risky gamble imo.
He going to make more money to is way. He declined a 7/153m contract. That included this last arb season at slightly over 20 mil. The Mets offered him a 3/90 mil contract. That’s 110 m. So he only needs to make 3/43 after this contract would be done.
Not.
Bad agent advice? Boras Corp could look at those obp…defensive stats…and see there’s maybe a cliff coming. What I see is Adam Dunn without the obp. Its not completely within the realm that in the next few years as he ages we see the obp tank to around .300…bat slows…power drops to 20-25.
Boras wasn’t his agent in 2023.
They are now
Boras is probably, uh, shading the truth. He may well have pitched a long-term Alonso deal to various clubs and got the door slammed in his face. That’s why Fielder’s deal has suddenly become “not relevant.”
Looks like a Bellinger-style deal is the best Alonso can get. Nobody wants to get caught with a long-term deal that stinks after two or three years.
Will stink from day 1 most likely. Someone probably gives him more than Walker. Definitely more than Goldy. Santana Horowitz Lowe Naylor. All better options than Pete.
Rhys Hoskins contract 2.0
Guy’s cooked. He can go play in Mexico with Bauer.
He’s cooked? Ha. Good one
Old Dork is a troll
Polar bears don’t do well in the heat!
Little below average defensively, going to hit 30 to 40 homers a year and going to have his fair share of strikeouts. Who wants him? He’s going to win some games for you.
Statcast has Alonso as in the worst 11th percentile at 1B, making him already as of 29 one of the worst defensive 1Bmen in baseball—and he’s not getting better there at age 30.
“He’s going to win some games for you” is not an argument with any persuasive value when the problem is he’s not going to win NEARLY enough games for you at the AAV and years he wants.
The going rate for competent (ie 2.0-2.5 fWAR) 1Bmen with iffy futures due to age or visible decline is no more than 3/60m. No one with sense if going to offer Pete more than that—certainly not opt-outs which all but guarantees the signing team will eat the entirety of his likely continued decline, but will lose out in the event that he produces real value, .
@olereb: Ignore JackStrawb. He’s a Mets hater in general and a Pete hater in particular. He finds the negative in everything. What you said is reasonable and I agree with it.
But the entertainment value is off the charts. Jack admits to all kinds of weird stuff on Metsmerized Online MMO.
Jack is a one man band of entertainment going on more than 10 years.
Jack is the smartest man on the internet. Just ask him.
I really really wish newspapers would stop publishing as fact what organizations say they offered a player to save face with their fans.
Doubles as a way of making fans hate the player for being disloyal when the truth is such an offer may or may never have been actually at the point of pen on paper.
Oh dude. No one makes people hate.
Corporate-state propaganda has manufactured hatred of Russia and China for decades. About the easiest thing propagandists have learned to do is make people hate something.
Nah. Don’t buy it. We are smart animals. It’s a choice. Sure, it’s easy to promote it, but you don’t have to take it on board.
I was hating here. Recognised it, stepped away for a while and let it go. Easy.
Jack being Jack. High caliber entertainment from the smartest man on the internet. Did you know that Jack has never lost an argument. Ever. Just ask him.
He’s going to make more money when all things are done with this shorter higher AAV contract.
Again, NOT TRUE. NOT happening. Never in 1,000,000 years.
Risk…if he drops off he’s not getting a long term deal
The Bellinger deal has been Pete’s best hope for awhile. He’s wildly rich already but he isn’t making back the money he left on the table. He seems on the fast track towards Luke Voitville.
He might have a 2020 Luke Voit type of season.
No. He won’t.
Pete has never slugged .610. He never will slug .610.
Though the 22 HR Voit hit in 2020? Yeah, Pete probably tops that in 2025.
Didn’t MLB-R just run a story on Alonso this morning? Has anything changed in the last couple of hours?
Check back at 10 pm, Joe. Could be going for the trifecta.
I’m assuming the Boras push back on the Fielder comparison.
I feel like the Mets are trying not to lock Alonso down to anything other than a 1 year deal because they want to be players on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. next winter. You could sign the deal and pray he opts out next winter but i think we all know that probably doesn’t happen. I feel like the QO is definitely weighing him down as there would probably have been teams more interested in a one or two year deal if they didn’t have to lose a draft pick. Flip side of that is Alonso probably should have accepted the QO and taken a second shot at a “platform” year
I agree with your thoughts but I don’t think it would hurt either one of them to split time at first and dh.
No, why take a 21 mil qo when he can get more than that now and then opt out or simply take a 1 year deal. There is risk here on both sides, but if the Mets are hoping Alonso is just going to come back with whatever offer he gets from someone else so they can match it if it’s less money and or years than they have (presumably) offered, that’s a big gamble to take.Personally I think Stearns thinks waiting it out will eventually amke Pete come back, but even if he does, the amount of ill-will it has created can’t be etrased. And that’s not just a Pete thing. Every player in that clubhouse, and every player in the league has taken notice. Theyre lowballing the guy who has more rbi than anyone else since he came into the league nd is second in hrs only behind Judge (by six), in the same span. Without that qo, which by the way costs a lot more than one draft pick depending what group gthat team is in. For the ones who have to pay the Competitive Balance Tax it means two picks, their second and fifth highest picks in the 25 draft, and paying 1 ,million from their international bonus pool money. Right now those teams are the Yankees, Dodgers, Phillies, Braves,Giants, Astros, Rangers and the Mets, with the Jays and Cubs possibly there as well.That 1 mil in intl bonus pool cash is where the Roki race impacts what teams would be willing to make offers right now. Roki’s deal is limited in how much he can get from any team from their intl bonus pool cash. Nobody wants to burn 1 million of that right now because that 1 million could kill your chances of signing him.That’s a hold up for everybody. From Alonso to Bregman, and anyone else who has a qo.After Sasaki signs, things open up folr hitters and pitchers alike. There’s a reason Tanner Scott and Jeff Hoffman are still out there. And if Vladdy sign an extension with Jaysand he’s locked up, or they do a sign and trade with him, then any team who needs power will come knocking with better deals than just three years. IYAnkees signed Goldy to make a run at Vladdy, Dodgers have Freeman, Braves Olson. But the Rangers, Astros, Giants, and Cubs would at least be in play. Then teams who would lose only one pick, their second highest pick plus 250K: Padres, Cardinals, Nationals, Angels, White Sox, Red Sox, that”s a few teams that would be interested. And then Revenue sharing recipient teams would only lose their tyhird highest pick. That’s the Padres, Cardinals, Nationals, Angels, White Sox and Red Sox. If anyone thinks nobody has interest in Pete they’re not paying attention. Intl signings open on Jan 15 and Sasaki has to sign between then and Jan 23; after that he has to go back to his old team and play there for the 2025 season. we’ll know soon, either way Stearns has tried to play it cool but in the next couple of weeks he’s gonna start to sweat.
What you have just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
There was nothing rambling or incoherent about my comment. You didnt rrefer to a single thing I said, The rules about the international bonus pool money, or the cost of signing a qo tendered fa for the diff tiers of teams in mlb.are facts,The rest is well within the realm of possible outcomes, not fantasy, but you managed to respond to, let alone refute, any of it. if you cant follow along for more than a few lines and cant articulate an actual reply, it doesnt mean something is idiotic much less irrational. But stringing together some infantile insults you think are some kind of epic mic drop, probably is, And my comment has nothing to do with your intelligence, that’s all you.
“Theyre lowballing the guy who has more rbi than anyone else since he came into the league nd is second in hrs only behind Judge (by six), in the same span.” How is offering a “market price” low balling??
If they offered him, 7/157, 22,4 aav after 2023 after 4 full seasons of 53/120, 37/94, 40/131 and 46/118, when despite the 217 in 23 he also hit 260, 262 and 271; thats lowballing. Market value right now is not the same as actual player value. You offer less when market conditions favor your position, they offered that deal because it would buy him out of his last arb year before he got to fa.His down year lowered his valuation and the qo penalties and impending Vlad jr fa are clearly a factor. But even with that year he;s still worth more than that, Offering only 3 years is not about his age because paying 30 mil per for three years when you think he’s on a decline, when the highest paid 1b in the league makes 27, makes no sense, specially when you offered him 22.4 a year ago.for more than double the years. If you honestly thought he was worth 22.4 per before 2024 and now think he’s not worth more than three years but you offer him 30 per, either you were lowballing him then or are massively overpaying now.
Agreed, but the Mets need a good hitter this year behind Soto or they will pitch around him.
Shocking. Another Boras client left standing at the altar. Maybe it’s time for more players to start dropping that goon.
He seems to do well for them regardless. Sometimes it’s delayed a year or two.
I would just negotiate my own deals if I was a player but Boras does just fine. He will probably get Pete more than I would pay him. Just puts on a clown show until the end result. Teams are smarter now. They don’t give a it what Pete wants.
Teams are smarter now.
=======================
No one but Preller and the Angels pay for retirement years. I get that there is some softness in the final years, but you have to have the promise of some really good years up front. With a 3.2 and 2.6 in the last two years, I don’t see the promise.
Pete thought he was going to get close to Aaron Judge’s deal. In fairness, Spotrac estimated Pete as getting 9/270m, after which I deleted all my Spotrac links.
Boras should not be your guy if you’re a deluded mediocrity.
He only does well with the toppest of tier players, with the mid-good range guys he misjudges the value tremendously.
Thing is, Alonso is no Mark McGwire
Yes Alonso doesn’t need to juice to hit a lot of home runs.
McGwire did not need the juice to hit HRs.He hit 49 as a 210 pound rookie in 1986.
Compared to Alonso’s 53. The all time record.
53* juiced ball year
I wonder if the comparison with P. Filder was a good strategy.
Terrible comparison imo. It was a terrible contract.
Why would an agent bring up the Prince Fielder contract when trying to negotiate a long term deal for their client? That isn’t going to give a team a warm feeling. It’s more of a warning. Why not bring up the Angels contract with Pujols while you’re at it?
Boras says fake news
At least Pujols was still productive, Fielder had to end his career once the neck injury happened. Boras should use the Mark Teixeria contract, I think that one aged better overall.
Productive? Pujols stunk once he left St Louis.
Honestly, a Steve Balboni comp is probably more accurate…
Hey Steve Adams, you clearly don’t know anything about the Mets or Pete Alonso and are repeating talking points that you heard somewhere. while he is not a gold glove for a Spaceman he’s one of the best scoopers in the game and his improved greatly over the last couple of years
He’s still a poor defensive 1B’man.
His defense does not matter!
If you really on metrics that don’t really judge a first baseman’s job. Picking and saving errors is the most important job of a 1b and he is by far the best in the league.
Lord, what do 1B do 3-4 times as often as they make a play on a ball in play? Catching ball’s thrown to them is more important.
As far as the rest of what a 1B does, Alonso is a 2 DRS for his career and 1 DRS for the past 3 seasons. That is above average.
Above average = NOT poor.
@metzfan ‘Scooping. ‘That’s always the hilarious last resort when you’re trying to defend a 1Bman already in the lowest 11th percentile according to Statcast and can’t find anything else to say about him.
It’s there most important job of a 1b. Keep relying on limited info to constantly complain about everything. I don’t think you’ve ever said anything positive ever.
This what you get for using Scott Boras
Getting paid more than you are worth?
I agree, he didn’t learn from his ex-teamate, Michael Conforto’s experience with Boras after he left the Mets. I hope we Pete signed with the Mets soon.
I hope he cries like Freeman
There’s a rumor that he’s going to sign with the SK Wyverns in Korea because he wants to win a championship. But it might just be a rumor.
Zippy, you rock!
How gets the money Scott? Pete or Alex? Conflict of inte
From a Mets fan – screw Alonso. He had his chance and blew it. I’d rather have Vientos at first and Baty at third. Not the best choice, but I can’t stand to look at Alonso anymore.
@377194 Well said. Fangraphs projects Baty at 3B at 1.8 fWAR.
Even doing nothing more than he did in his limp 2024, 0.5 fWAR in 171 PA, that projects to 1.4 fWAR in 2025 in 500 PA, Add in a modest contribution from Mauricio as the backup IFer and the Mets rate to get 2 fWAR from 3B for two minimum salaries.
Meanwhile, Vientos projects to improve by half a win just by moving his defense to 1B, where he’s already played half a season in pro ball. It’s hardly new to hm.
In short the Mets can pay Alonso a 30m AAV on a short deal, or take a solid bet on modest production from two young players at about $2m in 2025, with very similar results. Why would they do the former?
The Mets could also decide to sign a backup MIer with the arm to handle 3B as a defensive sub, just as Iglesias did to perfection in 2024, a move that puts a floor under their 3B production.
For a lower AAV, would Mets fans rather have Santander at DH, Vientos at 1B, and Baty/Mauricio/backup IFer at 3B,
OR Alonso at 1B, Vientos at 3B, and Baty at DH?
OK, and they pitch around Soto!
How’d that work with Bonds?
Bor-ass overplays his arrogant hand and leaves another player out to dry w/a ridiculous demand.
I feel pretty confident he’ll never see that $158mil ever again.
That’s ludicrous. He already got 20 mil of it and the Mets offered him a 3/90 mil deal. Are you saying he can’t get 3/40 when the contract is done?
Might not want to compare to Fielder. He had one good season after turning 30.
Lots of complaining from someone who supposedly doesn’t gaf.
At this point all 30 teams should chip in $850k per year each for 10 years worth and then space that out over 20 years and call it a day.
What the **** are you talking about?
I’m saying that the league seems to have serious trepidation giving Alonso a contract of any length or value, but also seems to agree he’s got stuff left in the tank and should play.
So they should just each chip in enough to equal $25.5M a year for him for 10 years ($850k x 30 teams x 10 years = $255M) and then do the dodgers thing of deferring it/spreading it out over way more years (20 years) and then he doesn’t play, nobody has to worry about his eventual/inevitable decline, he gets his money, no one team is paying an amount that they’d even think twice about spending each year and problem solved.
I am also being sarcastic, but whatever.
What might be more important for the Mets is that they’re going into the season with a starting staff that is a pile of question marks. They were very lucky in ’24 with Manea, Severino, and Quintana performing better than expected and Peterson finally broke out. This year they might not be so lucky and the starters might be a big flop. Makes no sense to splurge on Soto and hold tight to your wallet when Burnes, Snell, and Fried were available. I’m still hoping they open it up for Tanner Scott. Flaherty wouldn’t hurt either.
They all performed just as I expected. I would guess Stearns wasn’t surprised either.
Manea had the best season of his career. You expected it? Peterson previously would pitch well for a couple of games and then get lit up. You expected him to finish the year with an ERA of 2.90? You should be leasing your crystal ball out to real GMs and making a mint.
#Joel from NY Joel I agree and as a long time Mets fan who does like Peterson you still can’t count on him and that rotation for anything!
Unless Soto can bat every inning, I am worried about the pitching and Hoffman went to the Jays for reasonable money.
Senga pitched 5 innings last year
Peterson only proved a half of a year; still like him but
Manea can regress or teams can adjust
Holmes never started and some say doesn’t have the extra pitches
Canning caught his act in Anaheim where I live born in NY
Montas ERA near 5
Mets keep waiting on Alonso; why?
@Joel I do this all the time. Pretty much everytime. It’s childs play. Mets pitching staff is bottom tier of my work. Go read my Sale Hill Bart material for my better stuff. I’ll toy with baseball but if I can project baseball players I can project more important things for much larger companies. Baseball isn’t the place to make mint unless you are a special player.
You are funny! The rest of us are mighty grateful we get to read your comments for free. What a bargain!
Severino pretty much pitched to his career level, so that was expected. Manaea absolutely changed his game and his performance was def way above what was expected. I’m thinking pretty much the whole league was surprised, I klnow hitters were.. Quintana was like Severino, performed as expected level wise, not quite like 10 years ago, but at age 35 his era and whip were more White Sox Quintana than Cubs Quintana and he took the ball 31 times and pitched something like 170 innings.
So you wanted to give 200+MM to Fried, Burnes or Snell cause that’s most likely what it would have taken for any of them? Soto is signed for 15 years bud, they don’t need to waste all their ammo this offseason he’s 26. I’d much rather wait a year or two piecing together the right team then going all out in 1 offseason and have underwater contracts with old pitchers by 2nd or 3rd year.
Are you really thinking that it’s ok to keep the pot at a simmer and then one of these years a championship might pop up? Burnes is only 30, btw. Are you saying a pitcher who is 32 or 33 is old?
Do you really want to turn the burner on so high that it overheats and burns the product?
Burnes got offered what amounted to 250MM, and he turned it down to stay close to his family. His fastball, strikeout % and peripherals have all trended downwards the last couple years.
I don’t understand why taking a year or two to build this team right is the wrong approach to you. Dodgers didn’t get any worse, only better and signing Fried or Burnes was not changing them to a team that’s on the Dodgers level talent wise.
I’d much rather wait for Vlad or Tucker who will be 26 and 28 by the time they reach free agency and sort out pitching next year.
Yeah, Fried got 8/218 and Burnes 6/210. Maybe signing one of them,but at that amountit’s a big bet considering pitchers are much more likely to go down. Vlad and Tucker? Honestly 450-500 for Guerrero given his inconsistency is not a good bet over what will probably be 10-11 years if its true he wont deferr money. Tucker is also young but even though he’s good, I’m not convinced he’s worth the money they’re talking about.
I think to the Mets vlad would be worth pairing 2 stud 26 and 27 year old phenom players. Vlad doesn’t K much which along with Soto, Lindor and Jett could make for a terrifying lineup since they all get on base and don’t strike out much either.
There a plenty of SPs to go after next year in Framber Valdez, Michael King, Zac Gallen, Dylan Cease, Ranger Suarez, Shane Bieber.
I doubt that rotation gets more than 700 innings next year. They need more starters.
After last year with no Ace and Mets making it 2 games away from WS, Stearns definitely deserves the benefit of the doubt. I will wait to see how it goes before judging too early like everyone did last year.
I’d definitely start offering a lower AAV if I was the Mets….I’d go $70 million for 3 years and tell Boras the longer he waits the smaller that amount will go. The Mets have the leverage here, nobody wants Alonso at his price.
No one mentions the additional earnings potential that a guy like Pete can have in NY, now and after retirement, in a town where he’ll be a homegrown, have played for one team, and most likely be the most prolific Mets Homerun hitter in their history. Add that to the fact that he’ll be playing in a lineup with Soto, Lindor, Vientos and Alvarez, the guy will mash, but also won’t have to be “the guy” in the lineup.
@Rumor Shill. Excellent points. He could have owned New York.
No ones going to care about Pete in 2026 when he hits 24 HR, 12 2B, with a .296 OBP.
Nature of the beast.
I get your point but putting Alvarez in the company of Soto and Lindor doesn’t work. The potential is there, I agree, but so far he hasn’t hit all that much.
Coin Galleries of Oyster Bay
His biggest problem is his agent.
Small ball GM. This is sacrilegious to Stearns. Keep penny pinching and claim you built a contender.
He just spent the most ever on a player. They went to the finals and almost made the show. Don’t think anyone can question his approach right now. He’s getting results.
He had nothing to do with Lindor, Alonso, Vientos, Nimmo, Alvarez or Quintana. The guys in the farm coming up were already there. Acuna came in the Scherzer trade, Gilbert and Clifford on the Verlander trade, both before Stearns was hired.He gets credit for Manaea and Severino, but also for JDMartinez, Bader and a bunch of other misses. His approach had us sinking by June and offensively it was Lindor , Vientos and Alonso who turned it around.
I hope you’re wrong but it does seem that way.
Mets were a contender last season. They signed the highest paid player in history, have the 4th highest payroll in baseball which is $100 million higher than the season before Cohen bought the team but they are penny pinching?
Fat boy Fielder claimed to be a vegetarian…LMFAO!
There is no evidence that Alonso was offered 7/158. Just a rumor from one person that was then copy and pasted by every other sports writer. Both Alonso’s former agent and the Mets have denied those reports. Its not FAMOUSLY. Its REPORTEDLY or allegedly.
Borass is a trash agent. He does awful with good/great players and his “name” is literally getting guys money that would get it anyhow. He will take $1 more for a player, while putting them in awful situations. He is a net negative for the game.
I don’t think the players, who he works for, have the balls to say to him, I’m the client, your the agent and work for me.
They don’t have the knowledge. Balls aplenty at that level. They trust him. He sells himself as well as he sells the players.
What offer? There are only rumors of an offer that Alonso and the Mets have denied happened.
As a Mets fan I’d be ok off the Mets had an opt out in the contract. A three year opt for Alonso would be foolish – I don’t see him improving going forward and will only take up space on the payroll and field. Would rather see the team spend it on a pitcher or two and hang back.
Hoffman is now off the board; the longer the Mets wait on the Polar Beer the more other options fade away. Just move on and be done with it.
Sign Bregman and move Vientos to first.
Not for nothing but Alonso had 88 RBI in 608 At Bats. You can talk all you want but about these other stats, but the idea is to drive runs home. Oh yeah, 172 Ks. A lot of teams aren’t going to pay for past performance on a 6 or 7 year deal.
Whomever signs Pete should make sure to get his eyes checked well so he may have a better chance at hitting the outside slider he has trouble with.
That Fielder contract was a baddie. Alonso had a great offer from the Mets, and he wanted more. He must not have been happy there, and so he’s on a new track.
#PiazzaParty That is to simplistic with the luxury tax and penalties.
If you were right why didn’t the Mets offer Pete a billion dollars and every other free Agent a billion dollars.
Why not sign Ohtani when he was available 10 billion dollars?
Not an unlimited payroll; get real
The NYMs paid $95M in CBT tax in 2023 and $107M in 2024. That’s $200M. Even billionaires pay attention to numbers like that.
I know the MLBPA (or Boras ftm), won’t care, but with the Bally’s/Diamond RSN collapse, how many “free” (in a sense) dollars did that take out of the FA pool? 20 teams lost $25M or more each, of yearly RSN income. Unless you’re one of the “bottomless pit” of $$$ to throw around type clubs, I think the days of the massive contracts (where in the past teams would just expect to be collecting their RSN cash to cover it), are kind of over. There’s going to be a couple years here where the financials on all sorts of levels are going to need to be refigured, and as such, teams will not overcommit and will be playing it closer to the vest.
MLB revenues and gate attendance have continued to increase. The A’s who don’t even have a true audience yet and are being forced by the league to raise payroll. They Qualifying Offer amount increases every year. Mediocre starting pitchers are being signed for $15M+ annually. Some owners are using the RSN fallout as an excuse to not spend because their future profits projections can’t be determined yet.
First basemen don’t have the market value of starters or any defense first position players. Boras is asking way too much money and years. Probably to make up for his mistake declining that extension.