In recent days, a number of teams made moves to sign first basemen that did not include neither the New York Mets or Pete Alonso. Yet the Queens ball club might have just come out of things looking like the biggest winner of them all.
The likelihood of a reunion between Alonso, the slugging first baseman who was drafted by New York and spent his first six pro seasons in Queens, and the Mets increased exponentially after some of the most first-base-needy teams found replacements.
Former Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Christian Walker signed with the Houston Astros, ex-Guardians man Josh Naylor replaced him down in Phoenix, veteran Carlos Santana returned to Cleveland, and former MVP Paul Goldschmidt signed a one-year deal with the Yankees across town.
The Yankees were perceived as the largest threats to sign Alonso, as they were engaged in talks with the All-Star throughout the previous week. Winning his signature could have exacted some semblance of revenge after the Mets stole Juan Soto away from the Bronx earlier this month.
Even with the Mets handing out the largest contract in sports history to Soto, they still expressed a desire to bring Alonso back.
“We hope he stays,” Mets owner Steve Cohen said at Soto’s introductory press conference. “He just needs some time to go out and test his market and see what it is. Hopefully we’ll get there.”
The 30-year-old has an opportunity to develop into a top-two homegrown offensive talent in franchise history alongside David Wright while obliterating the club’s franchise power-hitting record books.
No one in the National League has hit more home runs than Alonso’s 226 since he debuted in 2019. That already ranks third in franchise history — just 26 away from tying Darryl Strawberry’s team record.
Alonso and his agent, Scott Boras, had already turned down a seven-year, $158 million contract extension offer from New York last summer in hopes of resetting the first baseman market in free agency. Hopes of attaining a $200 million deal appears unlikely and with the market slimming down, David Stearns and the Mets appear to have a growing advantage at the negotiating table.
