For all the talk of the New York Mets potentially moving on from Pete Alonso in the coming days, a reunion still might be a best-case scenario for the slugging first baseman.
The 30-year-old’s market is growing smaller and smaller, and one of his largest potential suitors are leaking things to suggest that they are not all that interested in him, either.
Bill Madden of the New York Daily News reported that the Toronto Blue Jays are currently “focused” on working out a contract extension with their star first baseman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The 25-year-old is a free agent following the 2025 season, and keeping him is imperative to their future hopes of contending.
The Blue Jays emerged last week as a legitimate threat to sign Alonso, but extension talks with Guerrero, paired with their signing of slugging outfielder Anthony Santander, suggest that Alonso is the odd man out.
In recent weeks, the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, and San Francisco Giants have been named potential suitors for Alonso. The Red Sox appear more focused on third baseman Alex Bregman, while the Angels remain on the outskirts of his market.
The Giants, who like the Blue Jays, have tried to spend in recent offseasons for big-name free agents but have come up empty more often than not, could very well be a team to watch. If the Seattle Mariners were serious about competing rather than gate receipts or profits, Alonso would be a logical fit there, too.
But Alonso and his agent, Scott Boras, have negotiated themselves into a corner. With whatever market he has left staunch in offering a short-term deal, Alonso already rejected a three-year, $68 million to $70 million contract with an opt-out from the Mets, per reports.
If teams were desperate for his services, they would have offered him more — perhaps around the $30 million annual salary that Alonso and Boras appear to be looking for — and he would be off the market. But no first baseman in baseball currently makes that kind of money, and a 2024 season, which included a career-low 88 RBI and a .788 OPS, does not necessarily warrant that sort of money, either, especially for a talent that is on the other side of 30.
The more time goes on, the more likely Alonso is to sign for less money or the more willing he is to accept the Mets’ offer. Of course, it is unknown at this time if it is still even on the table, but reports from SNY Andy Martino last week saying that the team is expecting Alonso to sign elsewhere and that they are pivoting suggests it might not be.
Regardless, Alonso would still provide significant help to the middle of the Mets’ lineup behind Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Mark Vientos. As their roster currently stands, New York’s projected No. 4 hitter on Opening Day is either Brandon Nimmo or Jesse Winker — neither of whom provides the same sort of wallop Alonso does.
