Super agent Scott Boras normally gets top dollar for his clients, but it appears as though he’s preparing to reset the first-baseman market with Pete Alonso’s next contract — whether that comes from the Mets or elsewhere.
Appearing on ‘The Show” podcast with Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post, Boras warned speculating minds to throw recent contracts for All-Star first basemen like Paul Goldschmidt’s five-year, $130 million extension with the St. Louis Cardinals, Freddie Freeman’s six-year, $162 million pact with the Atlanta Braves, or Matt Oldson’s eight-year, $168 million deal with the Atlanta Braves out the window.
“I don’t think those recent contracts, certainly negotiated by others, are really relevant to anything that has to do with what’s going to happen in the future,” Boras said. “Particularly with Pete Alonso.”
Alonso is a free agent following the 2024 season — his future with the Mets is a sizable unknown lingering over a franchise in transition. New president of baseball operations David Stearns, who has to find a new manager and potentially general manager this winter, didn’t seem all too hasty to strike a deal with the 29-year-old slugger, who has been the game’s premier power hitter since his debut in 2019.
While he was confident that Alonso would be his Opening Day first baseman in 2024, extension talks were danced around following his introductory press conference last month.
“I think Pete has demonstrated he can handle pressure,” Stearns said. “He handled a whole lot of pressure this season and handled that pretty well. I’m not particularly concerned about Pete being distracted or unable to handle questions of pressure [about his future].”
Alonso is already the only Met with multiple 40-home-run seasons (three) and has hit the most round-trippers in Major League Baseball over the last five years (192). He also became just the fifth player in MLB history to record three or more 40-home-run seasons in his first five years, joining Ryan Howard, Ralph Kiner, Eddie Mathews, and Albert Pujols.
That’s more than enough to secure a handsome payday and Boras — whom Alonso switched over to last month — is no stranger to getting big money for players at that position.
“We all work in different markets and I got Mark Teixeira a contract where he became a world champion with the Yankees for $180 million in 2007,” Boras said. “I also understand I got Prince Fielder a contract at [$214 million] in 2011. There are different markets, different representation, and different dynamics you look at.”
One of those dynamics is MLB’s increased revenue, which topped $10 billion last season, which should only help inflate a market that features Shohei Ohtani in free agency this year along with Alonso and Juan Soto next season.
The Mets can avoid drama next winter if they can get something done now, but the allure of the open market obviously has its advantages.
“We welcome all offers,” Boras said. “We certainly represent them, discuss them with the players we represent, and we really try to have as open a dialogue as we can and also have an exchange of information because… even if you don’t get a deal done, it helps the parties understand one another.
“So we invite negotiations, we invite discussions, we invite offers.”
