The Mets and Yankees could be in the mix again for another high-profile free agent, Pete Alonso, who has spent time in the Big Apple.
The slugging first baseman is one of the top talents left on the free-agent market after the Mets stole Juan Soto away from the Yankees with a historic 15-year, $765 million contract. But his signing has thrown more uncertainty on Alonso’s future in Queens.
The 30-year-old is already one of the most prolific offensive talents in Mets franchise history, slugging 226 home runs across his first six professional seasons in New York. Represented by Scott Boras, who also works with Soto, Alonso turned down a seven-year, $158 million contract extension from the Mets last summer to test the free-agent market.
While he and Boras wanted to reset the market with a deal of $200 million, it is unlikely to come after Alonso struggled by his standards in 2024 but had a strong showing in the postseason to help fuel the Mets’ run to the NLCS.
Throughout his contract year and into the winter, the Mets have maintained that they want to bring him back. During Soto’s introductory press conference last week, owner Steve Cohen disclosed that his team was “still engaged” in talks with Alonso’s camp.
“We hope that he stays,” Cohen began. “He just needs some time to go out and test his market and see what it is. Hopefully, we’ll get there.”
Alonso’s list of suitors is likely longer than just two teams, but the Yankees are in the market for a first baseman after cutting ties with Anthony Rizzo and have been in talks with Alonso, as confirmed by Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Tuesday.
Talks are likely strengthening with the Yankees, considering the team’s inability to flesh out a deal with the Chicago Cubs for Cody Bellinger. Per multiple reports, New York and Chicago remain far apart on how much money the Cubs should retain to help facilitate the deal, creating a stalemate that has no resolution in sight.
Nightengale disclosed that the Yankees are also engaged with Christian Walker, Carlos Santana, and Paul Goldschmidt.
The Yankees could be willing to pay a little more for the first baseman than the Mets, who have already exceeded Major League Baseball’s competitive balance tax threshold with Soto’s signing. Granted, they do not seem too worried about that and still have the financial firepower to outbid anyone if they choose.
Regardless, Alonso’s market could see him flirting with a deal between $180 million and $190 million, which would lead to a contract averaging between $25 million and $27 million per season if it is a seven-year deal.
