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Pete Alonso

Phillies “Checked In” On Pete Alonso During Offseason

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Before Pete Alonso re-signed with the Mets, the Phillies were among the teams that “checked in” on the first baseman’s free agent market, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman writes.  Rather than make the jump elsewhere in the NL East, Alonso returned to Queens on a two-year, $54MM deal that allows Alonso to opt out after the 2025 season.

This is the first time the Phils’ interest in Alonso has been made public, though Bryce Harper dropped some hints earlier this week when he was discussing his willingness to eventually move back to his old right field position.   “When Pete was on the block still, I kind of sat there and was like, ‘Hey, why not?’ ,” Harper said.  “When we talked about it, I kind of just reiterated to (the Phillies) and Scott (Boras) that I’m willing to move out there if it’s going to help us.  I love playing first base.  It’s been great.  But if it’s going to help us win, I’d go back out there [to the outfield].”

Despite Harper’s stance, there isn’t any indication that the Phillies made any serious push towards Alonso, or that their interest might have been anything more than due diligence.  As a big-market, free-spending team, the Phils have the relative freedom to explore signing just about any available free agent, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is no stranger to splashy acquisitions.  If anything, it might have been more unusual if Philadelphia didn’t at least consider Alonso, particularly (as Harper noted) once February rolled around and Alonso remained unsigned.

Alonso’s hopes at landing a lucrative long-term contract didn’t work out, leaving Alonso and agent Scott Boras (who also represents Harper) pivoting to shorter-term deals that included an opt-out clause.  The Blue Jays reportedly offered Alonso a three-year deal worth roughly $80-$85MM, but the slugger instead took the shorter contract from New York with the higher average annual value.

Because Alonso ultimately preferred to remain in Queens anyway, it’s safe to guess that he probably wouldn’t have jumped to a division rival if the Phillies had offered the same contract structure as the Mets, plus a few extra dollars.  Hypothetically, if Alonso had gone to Philadelphia, Harper would’ve moved into right field, making for a crowded situation in the Fightins’ outfield.  With Kyle Schwarber locked in as the everyday DH, Alonso at first base, and Harper getting everyday at-bats in right field, Nick Castellanos and new signing Max Kepler would’ve been squeezed into a platoon in left field.

Signing Alonso even at that relative bargain price also wouldn’t have exactly been a bargain in luxury tax terms.  The Phillies are already projected (via RosterResource) for a tax number of roughly $307.5MM in 2025, which is over the maximum penalty tier of $301MM.  The Phillies have paid the tax in each of the last three seasons, so the repeater penalty on top of the penalty for exceeding the $301MM threshold would’ve cost Philadelphia a 110% surcharge for every dollar spent above the $301MM total.

The number of big contracts on the Phillies’ books could explain why the club had a relatively quiet winter, as the Phillies made a few mid-tier signings (Kepler, Jordan Romano, Joe Ross) and swung one prominent trade to acquire Jesus Luzardo from the Marlins.  Still, after their playoff disappointment in 2024, the Phils were expected by some to perhaps be more aggressive in making one more headling-grabbing move as something of a final touch to put the roster over the top.

Checking in with Alonso now, however, might’ve been a move to really lay groundwork for next winter, assuming he triggers his opt-out clause.  While the Phillies have designs on signing Schwarber to an extension, his departure would open up a bit more flexibility on the roster and on the payroll, perhaps opening the door for Philadelphia to pursue Alonso or another big bat.

Alonso told Heyman that he is happy to back with the Mets, and he has “no regrets” about how his free agency developed.  He also noted that bigger-picture concerns overshadowed any worries he had about the lingering nature of his free agent stint, as Alonso spent much of his winter overseeing the repair of his home in Tampa.

“Hurricane Helene wiped out our house.  It just puts things in perspective,” Alonso said.  “Nothing really seemed that big of a deal after losing our house.  It’s like, what else?  OK, we have to wait a few extra few weeks.  OK, so what?“

Steve Cohen Discusses Mets’ Long-Term Spending Plans

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Mets owner Steve Cohen spoke with reporters on Tuesday morning, discussing the organization’s spending outlook after another huge offseason. Cohen acknowledged that a winter involving a record-setting Juan Soto contract and retaining Sean Manaea and Pete Alonso pushed spending beyond his initial expectations.

“It always seems like ballplayers are more expensive than you think,” the owner told reporters (including Newsday’s Tim Healey and Jorge Castillo of ESPN). “Listen, I have the ability to spend if I have to. I want to win. And I want to put the best team I can on the field. But free agency is expensive. … Even this year, I had a thought of where I wanted to be, and I’ve already blown through it. And I really wanted to be there. And just circumstances created, ’all right, I have to adapt my thinking.'”

Landing Soto required an eye-popping $51MM average annual value that handily shattered previous precedent. They successfully waited out Alonso’s market to avoid a long-term commitment, getting him on a two-year deal with an opt-out after the first season. That comes with a lofty $27MM AAV and a $30MM figure for the upcoming season, so it’s still a huge investment in 2025. Manaea landed three years and $75MM (albeit with deferrals), while Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes and A.J. Minter all secured multi-year contracts with eight-figure salaries.

RosterResource projects New York’s raw payroll around $331MM. Their competitive balance tax estimate is slightly lower at $325MM. Those seem to be within the ballpark, as Cohen told reporters that he expects to finish the season with a payroll in the $340MM range after accounting for in-season pickups (i.e. waiver claims and trade deadline acquisitions).

That could theoretically also include a Spring Training free agent move. There’s been some thought that the Mets could try to add to the rotation after the recent revelation that Montas will be out for an extended stretch because of a lat injury. Jose Quintana is arguably the best unsigned starting pitcher, but it seems the Mets aren’t circling back to the veteran southpaw. Mike Puma of The New York Post reported this morning that while Quintana has expressed interest in returning to Queens, the Mets haven’t been involved in his market.

The Mets will enter the year with the second-highest payroll in MLB behind the Dodgers. It’ll be the fourth straight season in which they not only pay the luxury tax but find themselves in the highest penalization tier. That’s $60MM above the base threshold. It was implemented in the 2022 collective bargaining agreement largely in response to other owners’ concerns that Cohen would blow the rest of the league away in spending. Teams that land in the top tax bracket and have paid the CBT in three or more consecutive seasons are charged a 110% tax on spending beyond that number, which lands at $301MM this year.

While the Mets are going to be firmly in that tier in ’25, Cohen said he’s hopeful of ducking below that line in future seasons. “I’d like to get below the Cohen Tax,” he said, alluding to the informal name for the highest tax bracket. “We sure it’s about me? There’s a lot of Cohens out there.” To that end, he somewhat downplayed the possibility of signing another extended megadeal next offseason. “You really can’t have too many long-term contracts, because then you lose your roster flexibility, so you need to be really careful,” he said. “But I’ll let my baseball people make that decision.”

This isn’t the first time that Cohen has spoken broadly about wanting to cut back spending over the long term. That hasn’t really happened. They ended last year with a tax number around $348MM, so this season is likely to represent a slight spending cut. RosterResource estimates their CBT number for 2026 around $206MM. Starling Marte’s four-year deal wraps up after the season, as do the one-year signings of Jesse Winker, Griffin Canning and Ryne Stanek. Alonso, Montas, Minter and Edwin Díaz all have opt-out chances.

Of that group, Alonso is most likely to retest the market. The star slugger didn’t find the long-term interest he’d expected, leading to the pillow deal. Alonso acknowledged that it represented “a bridge thing just to get to the next contract” (link via Tim Healey of Newsday). He conceded that his past two seasons have been below his peak standards, which contributed to a shorter deal. Alonso declined a three-year proposal from the Mets in order to take a more frontloaded two-year guarantee. Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote over the weekend that the Mets and Blue Jays had each made proposals earlier in the offseason in the $85MM range which included some amount of deferred money.

Alonso also said that the qualifying offer had a greater impact on his market than he’d anticipated. Any team other than the Mets would have forfeited a draft choice and/or international bonus pool space to sign him. The Mets merely relinquished the right to a fourth-round compensation pick to retain their own free agent. Players can only receive the QO once in their careers, so Alonso is positioned to hit the market unencumbered next offseason. He indicated he has no hard feelings with the Mets about how this winter played out and said it’d be “fantastic” if the sides eventually work out a longer-term contract.

Mets Re-Sign Drew Smith

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February 13: The Smith signing is official, per Joe DeMayo of SNY. Righty Christian Scott, who is also recovering from Tommy John surgery, was transferred to the 60-day IL in a corresponding move. Smith was himself then transferred to the 60-day IL as the corresponding move when the Pete Alonso signing became official.

February 12: The Mets will extend their relationship with their longest-tenured pitcher, as they’ve reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with right-hander Drew Smith, which contains a club option for the 2026 season. Smith, who’s rehabbing from Tommy John/internal brace surgery performed last July, will be paid $1MM in 2025. His club option is valued at $2MM. The MVP Sports client can boost those totals by way of some yet-unclear incentives.

Smith, 31, has pitched parts of six big league seasons with the Mets. He’s been a fixture in their late-inning mix over the past four years, logging a combined 3.35 ERA, 26.2% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate in that time. Smith has worked plenty of high-leverage spots, recording 33 holds and five saves in 156 appearances while being credited with only four blown saves during that time.

The surgery for Smith was deflating in multiple aspects. It not only knocked him out of the team’s Grimace- and OMG-fueled postseason run, it also coincided with the run-up to his first trip into free agency. A healthy Smith would’ve been an easy candidate for a guaranteed multi-year deal at a decent annual rate. On top of that, it’s the second Tommy John procedure of his career. After a solid big league debut in 2018, he missed the 2019 campaign due to the same procedure.

Depending how long the rehab process takes this time around, Smith could at least potentially be a late-season and/or October option for the Mets. Should he make it back, he’d join a relief corps also featuring Edwin Diaz, A.J. Minter, Ryne Stanek, Reed Garrett and Jose Butto.

For now, once the deal is finalized, Smith will quickly be placed on the 60-day injured list. The Mets will technically need to open a spot for Smith before they can move him to the 60-day IL, but that can be accomplished by placing Christian Scott (also recovering from Tommy John surgery) on the 60-day IL. Smith could move to the 60-day himself once an additional spot is needed for another free agent signing, waiver claim, or the selection of a non-roster invitee to the 40-man roster later in camp.

With the Mets in the top tier of luxury penalization, the Smith reunion will actually cost them about $2.1MM overall (the $1MM salary plus a 110% tax). Those same taxes will apply to whatever incentives he unlocks this year (and next year, if the Mets are again in the top penalty tier in 2026). That’s a drop in the bucket for a club running a cash payroll north of $330MM and looking at roughly $110MM worth of taxes on top of that sum.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com first reported the agreement and structure. Jon Heyman of the New York Post added details on the guaranteed money and option value.

Mets Re-Sign Pete Alonso

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February 12: The Mets officially announced their deal with Alonso today.

February 5: The stalemate between Pete Alonso and the Mets is over. New York is reportedly in agreement on a two-year, $54MM deal with the star first baseman. Alonso, a client of the Boras Corporation, can opt out after the upcoming season. He receives a $10MM signing bonus and a $20MM salary for 2025. He’ll essentially have a $24MM player option for the ’26 campaign. The deal comes with a $27MM average annual value for luxury tax purposes. Alonso chose the two-year deal over a separate offer from the Mets that would have guaranteed $71MM over three seasons.

Alonso, who turned 30 in December, returns to Queens for a seventh season. He has been one of the faces of the franchise since his electrifying debut. Alonso led the majors with 53 home runs en route to a runaway Rookie of the Year win in 2019. That still stands as the all-time rookie home run record. He connected on 16 longballs in the shortened follow-up season and has topped 30 homers in each of the last four years.

That’s a testament not only to his massive power but to his exceptional availability. Alonso has played at least 152 games in each of his five full seasons. He appeared in all 162 contests last year. His only career injured list stint was a minimal stay in 2023 related to a bone bruise in his left wrist. Over the last six seasons, only Marcus Semien has played in more games. Semien and Freddie Freeman are the only hitters with more plate appearances.

On a rate basis, Alonso’s production has dropped in consecutive seasons. He carried a .261/.349/.535 batting line through his first four seasons. Alonso hit another 46 homers in 2023, though he did so with career-low marks in batting average (.217) and on-base percentage (.318). His average and OBP rebounded slightly last season, but his power ticked down. Alonso hit .240 with a .329 OBP and a career-low .459 slugging percentage across 695 plate appearances. His 34 homers and 88 runs batted in were each personal worsts over a full schedule.

It was a pedestrian year rather than a bad one. There’s clear value in a player who hits 34 home runs in a relative down season. Still, it was the second straight year in which Alonso’s offensive production was below his early-career level. He’s a .229/.324/.480 hitter since the start of the ’23 campaign. That checks in 21 percentage points better than league average, as measured by wRC+.

By that statistic, Alonso ranks ninth in overall offense among the 35 first basemen with at least 750 plate appearances over the past two seasons. He’s just behind Cody Bellinger and Josh Naylor and narrowly ahead of LaMonte Wade Jr., Luis Arraez and Christian Walker. Alonso’s durability and power gives him a higher offensive ceiling than the rest of that group. Nevertheless, his recent rate metrics have put him alongside those hitters and a clear step down from Freddie Freeman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bryce Harper at the top of the position.

Alonso’s on-field value lies in the bat and his durability. He doesn’t provide baserunning value. His defensive grades at first base are middling. Defensive Runs Saved put him at three runs below par last season and has given him a +2 mark for his career. Statcast had him six runs below average in 2024 and grades him at 18 runs under par overall. FanGraphs and Baseball Reference have both valued Alonso around 2-3 wins above replacement in each of the last two seasons.

Of course, Alonso’s value to the Mets extends beyond that production. He’s a homegrown star who is already third on the organization’s home run leaderboard. He is 16 homers shy of David Wright for second place and only needs 27 longballs to surpass Darryl Strawberry for the franchise record. He’ll almost certainly break that record, likely next season.

Alonso was also a key contributor during New York’s run to last year’s NL Championship Series. He saved the season in the Wild Card series with his three-run shot off Devin Williams in the ninth inning of Game 3. That was one of four longballs he hit in October. Alonso slashed .273/.431/.568 across 58 postseason plate appearances. Modern front offices are generally wary about putting much stock in small-sample playoff numbers, though, and Alonso’s unexceptional regular season worked against him in free agency.

The four-time All-Star hit the market envisioning a strong nine-figure deal. His camp presumably sought something in the range of the Matt Olson and Freeman contracts. Olson inked an eight-year, $168MM extension with the Braves; Freeman signed a six-year, $162MM guarantee with the Dodgers, though deferrals dropped the net present value closer to $148MM.

At one point, the Mets valued Alonso similarly. Joel Sherman of the New York Post has reported that Alonso declined a seven-year, $158MM extension offer in June 2023. That would have bought out his final arbitration season and six free agent years. Alonso made $20.5MM in his last arbitration year, so he’d need to beat $137.5MM over the next six seasons to come out ahead in that decision.

Circumstances have changed significantly since the Mets made that offer. Alonso has switched his representation to the Boras Corporation. The Mets moved on from then-GM Billy Eppler and installed David Stearns at the top of baseball operations. The Brewers rarely invested heavily in first basemen, even via arbitration, during Stearns’ tenure as Milwaukee’s general manager. He’s operating with a much different payroll ceiling under Steve Cohen’s ownership, but this generally hasn’t been his preferred player archetype.

While Stearns and Cohen maintained that they wanted Alonso back, they didn’t want to do so on a long-term deal. They made the obvious decision to put forth a qualifying offer, which the slugger easily rejected. It seems they held off on going beyond three years. As his free agency dragged, Alonso moved off his desire for a long-term deal in talks with the Mets. His camp reportedly pitched a three-year term with multiple opt-out chances. Financial specifics aren’t clear, but the Mets countered with a three-year proposal in the $68-70MM range in the middle of January. After Alonso declined, the Mets signaled they were willing to move on to contingencies.

Whether the Mets actually believed Alonso would walk or were merely signaling that as negotiating leverage, they must come away pleased with the result. The Mets reportedly had two different offers on the table: a three-year, $71MM proposal or the two-year deal which he ultimately accepted. Will Sammon of The Athletic reports that the three-year term also included an opt-out after the first season and would have broken down as a $27MM salary in year one followed by $22MM salaries if he didn’t opt out. Alonso preferred the extra $3MM in the first season, betting on himself to play well enough to take the out clause next winter.

The Mets keep the term short and retain Alonso on a deal that more closely resembles the two-year contracts signed by Rhys Hoskins ($34MM with Milwaukee) and Joc Pederson ($37MM with Texas) than the Olson or Freeman precedents. It’s an ideal cap to a dangerous lineup. The Mets won the Juan Soto bidding on the record-shattering $765MM deal as the Winter Meetings were getting underway. New York brought back Jesse Winker to serve as their designated hitter, at least against right-handed pitching. That’ll keep Mark Vientos at third base for another season. Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Alvarez are key holdovers, with Jeff McNeil and one of Tyrone Taylor or Jose Siri rounding out the projected starting nine.

Keeping Vientos at third base blocks the clearest path to playing time for younger infielders Brett Baty, Luisangel Acuña and Ronny Mauricio. The latter two could push McNeil for reps at second base. They all have a minor league option remaining, so the Mets could keep all three at Triple-A Syracuse. They don’t need to make a trade — there’s a good chance Alonso will retest free agency next winter — but it’s possible the surplus makes them more willing to include an upper-level infielder in a package for a top-end starter. New York has built strong rotation depth but arguably needs to increase the rotation’s ceiling to pull ahead of the Phillies and Braves in what’ll be a tough NL East race.

The deal pushes the Mets’ projected payroll to roughly $331MM, according to the RosterResource calculations. The $27MM luxury tax hit brings them to $325MM in CBT obligations. That pushes them firmly beyond the $301MM threshold that marks the final tier of penalization. They’re taxed at a 90% clip for the approximate $3MM to push them to that threshold and at a 110% rate on spending beyond that point. The signing comes with approximately $29.1MM in taxes. They’ll pay around $59MM this season to keep Alonso. New York also relinquishes the right to the compensatory draft choice that they would have received had he signed elsewhere after declining the qualifying offer. That pick would have come after the fourth round.

Alonso secures a strong one-year salary with an eye towards a more lucrative free agent trip next winter. Players cannot receive a QO more than once in their career, so he’d hit the market without draft compensation if he opts out. He’d still come out ahead of that declined extension offer if he secures a deal worth more than $107.5MM over the ensuing five seasons. That’s by no means a guarantee, as he’ll be working against the aging curve, but it’s the kind of risk-reward play that a lot of free agents take if they don’t find their ideal long-term deal on their first free agent try.

Andy Martino of SNY first reported that the Mets were re-signing Alonso. Jeff Passan of ESPN had the two-year, $54MM guarantee and the $30MM in year one. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the signing bonus and that Alonso declined a three-year term, which USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported had a $71MM guarantee. Image courtesy of Imagn.

MLBTR Podcast: Pete Alonso’s Deal, And Potential Landing Spots For Bregman and Arenado

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

  • Pete Alonso re-signing with the Mets (1:45)
  • What’s next for the Blue Jays after not getting Alonso? (9:25)
  • Will the Mets and Alonso going to reunite again in the future or will this be it? (12:55)

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • What teams could still sign Alex Bregman? (17:50)
  • Can the Cardinals trade Nolan Arenado to the Red Sox? (29:20)
  • Do the Orioles need an ace? (37:55)
  • What are the Marlins building right now? (39:30)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Krall: Reds Likely To Open Camp With Current Roster

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The Reds have added $11MM to their payroll within the past two days. They signed outfielder Austin Hays to a one-year deal with a mutual option and assumed $6MM of the $12MM remaining on Taylor Rogers’ contract. They also inked veteran southpaw Wade Miley to a minor league deal that’d come with a $2.5MM base salary if he breaks camp.

It seems that’ll settle the roster going into Spring Training. President of baseball operations Nick Krall tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer that the Reds are “probably in a spot where this is (the) team going to camp.” Krall didn’t firmly shut the door on making any other moves — no front office head would — but it appears the Reds are content to take this group into Spring Training.

Earlier this evening, Jon Heyman of the New York Post floated the Reds as a potential dark horse fit for Pete Alonso. Cincinnati’s first base mix is a question after Jeimer Candelario and Christian Encarnacion-Strand struggled last season. Encarnacion-Strand was limited to 29 games before undergoing season-ending wrist surgery. While Alonso would unquestionably raise the floor, it’s hard to see a scenario in which Cincinnati would meet his asking price.

Alonso is reportedly open to a short-term deal with opt-outs after the market didn’t present the longer term he was seeking. That’ll only increase the average annual value, though, which is probably a non-starter for Cincinnati. Shortly after acquiring Gavin Lux from the Dodgers, Krall said the Reds didn’t have “a ton” of payroll space. Their subsequent local TV deal with Main Street Sports (the rebranded Diamond Sports Group) created some spending room for the Hays and Rogers investments. Offering $25MM+ annually to lure Alonso to Cincinnati would be on a completely different level.

RosterResource calculates the Reds’ payroll around $115MM. They finished last season in the $100MM range. According to Cot’s Contracts, Cincinnati’s franchise-record Opening Day payroll was around $127MM back in 2019.

Mets Notes: Alonso, Stanek, Jansen

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Per reporting from earlier this week, the Mets have an agreement in place to re-sign Ryne Stanek to a one-year deal. They almost made a very different bullpen addition, however. Both Andy Martino of SNY and Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that the Mets were talking to Kenley Jansen before agreeing to terms with Stanek.

The report from The Athletic suggests that the Mets couldn’t get the deal done, in part, because Jansen is looking for a chance to close. He currently has 447 saves, which puts him fourth on the all-time list. The 37-year-old doesn’t have much hope of catching Mariano Rivera (652 saves) or Trevor Hoffman (601), but he is just 53 away from getting to the 500-save plateau. He’s also not far from passing Lee Smith, who is in third place with 478, though Craig Kimbrel is also right behind Jansen at 440 and still active.

The Mets can’t really offer Jansen the closing role he’s looking for, however, as they have Edwin Díaz cemented as their ninth-inning guy. Jansen has also received reported interest from clubs such as the Tigers, Blue Jays and Cubs this winter, though likely has talked to several others without it leaking out. Those three clubs have all made bullpen additions this winter, with the Tigers signing Tommy Kahnle, the Jays signing Jeff Hoffman and Yimi García and the Cubs acquiring Ryan Pressly.

In the latter case, Pressly waived his no-trade clause from the Astros because he was unhappy with that club signing Josh Hader to replace him as the closer. It would therefore be quite stunning if the Cubs did the same thing to him by signing Jansen. The Tigers and Jays are better on-paper fits for bringing in a closer, though there are plenty of others. The Nationals, Angels, Diamondbacks and Brewers are some clubs that have competitive aspirations and don’t have a surefire closer.

Turning back to the Mets, Martino suggests that getting Stanek instead of Jansen keeps the door open a crack for a Pete Alonso return, since Jansen will surely sign for more than the $4.5MM guaranteed that Stanek got. The report from The Athletic suggests that, in addition to the lack of a closing opportunity, the Mets didn’t like Jansen’s price tag. No details were provided on what he’s looking for but late-30s relievers like Kirby Yates, Aroldis Chapman and Blake Treinen each got eight-figure salaries this winter.

The staredown between Alonso and the Mets has been going on for quite some time now. It does appear there is some mutual interest in a reunion, though the club’s behavior suggests they’re not too worried about him leaving. A couple of weeks ago, it was reported that they offered him a three-year deal that was valued in the $68-70MM range. When he and his representatives at the Boras Corporation turned that down, they reportedly decided it was time to leave the table and pivot to other options.

In the past few weeks, the Mets have seemingly pivoted to spreading money around to various other players. They have added A.J. Minter and Stanek to the bullpen in recent weeks, as well as bringing Jesse Winker back into the position player mix. None of those moves have explicitly blocked the path to a reunion with Alonso, but it’s possible they signal a willingness to spend their remaining budget on multiple smaller moves.

Both Martino and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that a depth/utility infielder is a remaining item on the to-do list. Jose Iglesias was a revelation for them in 2024, hitting .337/.381/.448 in 85 games, but became a free agent at season’s end. The Mets have a cluster of young infielders in Mark Vientos, Luisangel Acuña, Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty but likely want all of those guys getting regular playing time, either in the majors or the minors. Therefore, bringing back the still-unsigned Iglesias or some other veteran for a part-time role is a sensible addition.

RosterResource currently projects the club for a $301MM payroll and a $297MM competitive balance tax number. They had those numbers in the $330-360MM range in each of the past two years, so they could certainly still add a big contract if willing to get up there again. But despite the seemingly endless resources of owner Steve Cohen, president of baseball operations David Stearns has taken a disciplined approach to roster building. Rather than go for the top free agent pitchers like Corbin Burnes or Max Fried, he opted for shorter deals for Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes, in addition to playing hardball with fan favorite Alonso.

Alonso’s situation is one of the biggest unresolved storylines of the offseason, with pitchers and catchers set to report to spring training in about two weeks. Despite his huge home run power, he hasn’t found a contract offer to his liking yet. That’s likely due to his limited overall profile, as his defense, baserunning and pure hitting skills aren’t considered as strong as the power. His offense was also a bit lower in the past two years compared to his previous seasons. If he doesn’t return to Queens, clubs like the Blue Jays, Angels and Giants have also been in the mix for his services, but the offers from those clubs presumably haven’t been overwhelming, given that he is still unsigned.

Despite the frustrating winter, it doesn’t appear an agency change is upcoming. Per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, agents are being told they can’t contact Alonso, seemingly because the first baseman has no interest in switching representation at this time. The first baseman had switched before, going from Apex Baseball to Boras at the end of the 2023 season. Though his free agency is playing out in frustrating fashion, it’s understandable that he doesn’t view now as a good time to make such a significant change, with the new season so close.

It’s theoretically possible that he decides to switch representation later, as Jordan Montgomery did last spring. After his disappointing trip to free agency led to a two-year deal with the Diamondbacks, the lefty switched to Joel Wolfe and Nick Chanock of Wasserman in April and later said that Boras “kind of butchered” his free agency. On the other hand, Blake Snell defended Boras after he also had to settle for a two-year deal. Snell ended up opting out and securing a five-year, $182MM deal with the Dodgers this winter. Matt Chapman and Cody Bellinger also had disappointing free agencies with Boras last winter and have stuck with him. Chapman ended up getting a six-year, $151MM extension from the Giants. Bellinger didn’t use the first opt-out on his three-year deal but will have another chance after the upcoming season.

Poll: Will Jack Flaherty Or Pete Alonso Sign First?

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Just a couple of weeks remain before pitchers and catchers report for spring training, and 32 of MLBTR’s Top 50 MLB Free Agents have signed. That includes 17 of the top 20, with only third baseman Alex Bregman, first baseman Pete Alonso, and right-hander Jack Flaherty still remaining in that upper tier. Bregman’s market has appeared to pick up in recent days, even as he’s stuck to his guns on seeking a long-term contract, but things have remained fairly static for both Alonso and Flaherty.

That lack of movement has come in spite of both players beginning to consider shorter-term offers to at least some degree. In Flaherty’s case, it was reported earlier this month that his camp is “open” to short-term offers after spending much of the winter looking for a five-year deal. Alonso surely entered free agency seeking a long-term pact, but the interest he’s received has been focused on shorter-term arrangements similar to the ones signed by players like Cody Bellinger and Blake Snell last winter. Though he’s open to shorter-term pacts, he rejected a three-year offer from the Mets that guaranteed him around $70MM; his camp had reportedly offered the Mets a three-year deal at a higher annual salary that contained opt-out clauses.

Both Alonso and Flaherty saw their difficult trips through free agency spur candid public comments this weekend. In Flaherty’s case, he delivered those comments himself in an interview where he discussed his “weird” free agency before suggesting that many teams have become somewhat complacent in pursuing just the opportunity to make the postseason rather than trying to construct the best team possible. For Alonso, it was Mets owner Steve Cohen who described “exhausting” negotiations with the club’s longtime first baseman. Cohen noted that he made a “significant” offer to Alonso’s camp but hasn’t been interested in the contract structures being presented by them, calling the deals “highly asymmetric” against the team.

Flaherty and Alonso are two of the more difficult players to evaluate in this winter’s crop of free agents. Flaherty had an undeniably excellent platform season in 2024, pitching to a 3.17 ERA (127 ERA+) in 28 starts between the Tigers and Dodgers while striking out 29.9% of opponents. That was his first time making it to 150 innings in five years, however, as he pitched just 299 innings total over the 2020-23 seasons. That four-year stretch saw Flaherty struggle on a rate basis, as well, with a pedestrian 4.42 ERA (94 ERA+) and 4.36 FIP. In conjunction with high-profile reports around the trade deadline that brought forth concerns regarding Flaherty’s medical records, clubs have been reluctant to commit to the right-hander long term even in spite of his demonstrated upside.

For Alonso, the divisiveness is to be expected for a player with his profile. The slugger’s titanic power allowed him to explode onto the scene back in 2019 when he won Rookie of the Year, crushed 53 homers, and became an instant star. From 2019 to 2022, Alonso slashed .261/.349/.535 (137 wRC+) with 146 homers in 530 games and established himself as a consistent four-win player. The past two seasons have been less productive. He’s hit .229/.324/.480 (121 wRC+) since 2023 with career-worst 34 home runs in 2024. That’s still well above average, but now that Alonso’s bat has seemingly taken a step back from “elite,” his poor defense and relatively pedestrian on-base ability have are more problematic. Alonso’s star power and slugging ability appear to suggest he should be in line for a healthy long-term deal, but the market has moved away from this type of skill set. Were Alonso still in his mid-20s, perhaps it’d be overlooked, but he turned 30 in December.

The start of spring training hasn’t always been enough to convince star players who linger on market to sign, but it’s a strong incentive for players to accelerate talks. Further, the struggles of late signees who miss significant portions of spring training (Jordan Montgomery being the most prominent recent example) could further incentivize players to get a deal in place soon.

Who will be off the board first? Will Alonso be able to reach an agreement that bridges the gap between his peak and more recent production? Or will Flaherty find a team willing to gamble on his excellent 2024 but shaky track record from 2020-23? Have your say in the poll below:

Who Will Sign First?
Jack Flaherty 55.22% (5,159 votes)
Pete Alonso 44.78% (4,184 votes)
Total Votes: 9,343

Mets Owner Steve Cohen Discusses “Exhausting” Pete Alonso Talks

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Talks between the Mets and Pete Alonso’s agents at the Boras Corporation seemingly hit an impasse last week, as reports emerged that the Mets expected Alonso to sign elsewhere after the two sides each rejected the other’s three-year contract offer.  Team owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns each addressed the situation at the “Amazin’ Day” fan event this weekend at Citi Field, with Cohen reinforcing the idea that the door isn’t closed on an Alonso reunion, but the chances of an agreement appear diminished.

“We made a significant offer to Pete,” Cohen told fans and media, including The Athletic’s Will Sammon.  However, the owner doesn’t “like the structures that are being presented back to us.  I think it’s highly asymmetric against us, and I feel strongly about it.  I will never say no, you know, there’s always the possibility [of an agreement].  But the reality is we’re moving forward, and as we continue to bring in players, the reality is it becomes harder to fit Pete into what is a very expensive group of players that we already have.”

“And that’s where we are, and I am being brutally honest.  I don’t like the negotiations.  I don’t like what’s been presented to us.  Listen, maybe that changes, and certainly, I’ll always stay flexible.  If it stays this way, I think we are going to have to get used to the fact that we may have to go forward with the existing players that we have.”

The exact specifics of Scott Boras’ offers to the Mets aren’t known, though the concept floated was a three-year contract with at least one opt-out clause, which would allow Alonso to test free agency again likely as early as next offseason.  The structure is similar to the deals signed by other Boras clients like Matt Chapman, Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, and Jordan Montgomery last winter, which saw the players each receive a high average annual value within the framework of those shorter-term contracts.

Reports indicated that the Mets’ countered the Alonso camp’s offer with a three-year deal (presumably still with opt-outs) worth $68-$70MM, which would’ve given Alonso a rough AAV of $23MM.  Alonso and his reps rejected that offer and Sammon writes that the Mets then pulled the offer away entirely, leading to the current stalemate between the two sides.  According to Sammon, “it’s unknown if the Mets and Alonso have since re-engaged.  So whether the door is open under similar or different parameters remains a question.”

While some gamesmanship could certainly have been at play in Cohen’s comments today, the Mets owner didn’t mince words in saying  “personally, this has been an exhausting conversation and negotiation,”  Cohen felt that the talks with Alonso were “worse” than even the “tough” negotiations with Juan Soto that ended in Soto’s record $765MM contract.  Ironically, both Soto and Alonso are represented by Boras, though obviously the markets for both sluggers varied greatly.

Even before the offseason began, there was some sense that Alonso (as a power-centric first baseman with slightly declining numbers over the last two seasons) might have to settle for a shorter-term deal with opt outs, so the fact that the talks with the Mets have focused on such contracts isn’t much of a surprise.  What isn’t clear, however, is whether Alonso has other suitors willing to offer more years, or at least higher average annual salaries.  The Giants, Angels, Red Sox, and Blue Jays have all reportedly shown some interest in Alonso, with Toronto seemingly making the most recent push for the first baseman.

In terms of how the Mets might be looking beyond Alonso, Jesse Winker was re-signed last week, filling another hole on the position-player side.  The New York Post’s Joel Sherman wrote yesterday that the Mets asked both Mark Vientos and Brett Baty to start working out at first base, with Baty also getting some reps as a second baseman.

Vientos has some experience at first base already, and he was already locked into a regular spot in New York’s 2025 lineup whether as a third baseman (if Alonso re-signed) or at first (if Alonso left and another first base-only type wasn’t obtained).  Baty has played almost exclusively at third base during his 169-game MLB career and in the minors, while spending some time at second base and in left field in the minors.  He has never played first base at the professional level, with Baty telling Sammon that he last played the position when he was a high school sophomore.

Nevertheless, Baty views the challenge as “really fun….I’ve always prided myself on being as athletic as I can be.  And I think athleticism, you can show it off at any position whether it be first base, second base, third base, the outfield, whatever it is.”

With a .215/.282/.325 slash line over 602 plate appearances at the MLB level, Baty has yet to establish himself over parts of three seasons in the Show, so adding positional flexibility is at least a good way for the former top prospect to help his chances of making the roster.  Between Baty, Luisangel Acuna, and Ronny Mauricio, the Mets could let those youngsters compete for playing time at third base, ideally with one stepping up to take on the regular starting job.  If none are ready for prime time, the Mets could pursue a corner infielder of some type at the trade deadline, with Vientos perhaps shifting from first to third base depending on who New York might obtain.

Latest On Blue Jays, Pete Alonso

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5:30pm: Tim Healey of Newsday provides a similar report to Martino, saying that the two sides are deep in talks. However, Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet report that there’s no gaining momentum for the Jays to sign Alonso or Scherzer.

3:05pm: The Blue Jays have been known for a while to have interest in free agent first baseman Pete Alonso. Andy Martino of SNY reports today that talks between the two sides are “advancing,” though he cautions that nothing is done yet and it can’t be certain that a deal will be completed.

Though nothing is done yet, it would be quite an interesting offseason pivot for the Jays if they could get the deal over the line. For the first few months of the winter, the club was defined by coming up just short in their pursuits of free agents like Juan Soto, Max Fried, Corbin Burnes and Roki Sasaki. When combined with last winter’s near miss on Shohei Ohtani and a disappointing 2024 season, frustration was high among the fanbase.

The volume of the murmuring decreased somewhat in recent days as the Jays signed outfield Anthony Santander to provide the lineup with a power boost. But even after that deal, it didn’t seem as though the Jays were done. They reportedly still have payroll space and have been recently connected to players like Alonso, Jurickson Profar and Max Scherzer.

If Alonso is ultimately brought north of the border alongside Santander, the two would make for fairly similar additions. Both players have power as their clear best trait, with their other contributions a bit more muted.

Alonso has clubs 226 home runs over the past six seasons, which puts him second only to Aaron Judge for that span. But despite that huge power, he has lingered unsigned in free agency as spring training is just over the horizon.

That is perhaps due to the other parts of his profile. His 9.9% career walk rate is a bit above average but not by much. He doesn’t have huge speed on the basepaths. The reviews on his defense have been mixed, with Alonso having earned +2 Defensive Runs Saved in his career but getting a grade of -24 from Outs Above Average. His offense has also been relatively lower of late. He slashed .261/.349/.535 through 2022 for a wRC+ of 137, but then hit .229/.324/.480 for a 121 wRC+ over the past two years.

That’s still really strong production but it’s possible that it contributed to a gap between what Alonso and his reps were expecting from free agency and what clubs were willing to offer. The power-only right-handed slugger is a profile that hasn’t been paid well in a while and Alonso’s recent dip may not have helped him.

Many expected him and the Mets to reunite but the club didn’t seem too keen on that. Even as Alonso and his reps have pivoted to considering short-term deals recently, the Mets apparently capped their offer in the range of $68-70MM over three years. That amounts to something close to $23MM annually, a lower average annual value than Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery were able to get even though they remained unsigned into February/March of last year.

It’s unclear what kind of terms Alonso and Jays are discussing, but he would be a sensible fit for them, despite his flaws. The Jays had some strengths last year but power was a clear weakness. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the only guy on the club to get to the 20-homer plateau. The team-wide tally of 156 long balls was 26th out of the 30 clubs in the league, ahead of only the Marlins, Rays, Nationals and White Sox.

Their walk rate, however, trailed only six teams. Their defense was considered quite strong, with DRS having them tops in the majors and OAA considering them the fourth-best. Therefore, adding a player who mostly provides power was a sensible target coming into the offseason.

They already made one such addition with Santander. Like Alonso, his power is a greater strength than his defense, speed or on-base ability. But the Jays are seemingly willing to go after the weakest part of their 2024 club and attack it.

Fitting everyone into the lineup would be a bit of a challenge. The Jays already have a first baseman in Guerrero. With Alonso on the club, the two would presumably share first base and the designated hitter spot somewhat regularly. Guerrero has played a bit of third base in his career but only 14 games in the past five seasons. Most of those came last year as the club was playing out the string on a lost season.

Without Alonso on the club, corner outfielders Santander and George Springer make sense as the top candidates to receive lengthy stints in the DH spot. As mentioned, Santander is not a great fielder. Springer has been a good defender in his career but is now 35 years old and he’s naturally sliding a bit in that department. Adding Alonso would limit the ability of the Jays to use Springer or Santander in the DH spot, unless they are willing to put Guerrero at third more often than expected. As of now, Ernie Clement profiles as the club’s best option at the hot corner. Since he’s more of a glove-first guy capable of playing other positions, it’s possible he could be deployed in more of a utility role. Speculatively speaking, it’s possible the Jays could start some games with Guerrero and Alonso at the corners, with Clement subbing in at third late in the game if the club is ahead and wants to prioritize defense. At that point, either Guerrero or Alonso could head to the bench, with the other at first.

It’s an interesting gambit and time will tell if the two sides get anything done. The Jays apparently still have some money to spend and have some options available. Whether that’s Alonso, Profar, Scherzer, someone else or some combination, it appears they are still busy in trying to salvage the offseason after a few misses earlier on.

Signing Alonso would also require the club to forfeit a draft pick and $500K of international bonus pool space because he rejected a qualifying offer from the Mets. The Jays already gave up pool space to sign Santander but added $2MM in the ill-fated Myles Straw deal when they were courting Sasaki, so they probably aren’t especially worried about that part. Since they already surrendered their second-best pick in the upcoming draft to get Santander, signing Alonso would mean also forfeiting their third-highest pick. The Mets would receive a compensation pick for Alonso leaving, but as a club that paid the competitive balance tax last year, that pick wouldn’t come until after the fourth round.

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