“Things may not be as they seem” … or at least what Pete Alonso wants them to be. That’s why he needs to re-sign with the Mets.
Free agent Pete Alonso must be thinking about that saying right now. Going out in the open market is not what he envisioned. The Mets slugger hasn’t received the offers of a long-term deal as he expected ($150 to $200 million), and no team has made an offer outside of the Mets.
It’s no wonder the Amazins are pushing Alonso to agree to a deal soon. They have the advantage over him by offering him a take-it-or-leave-it agreement with the idea that no team will give him a better offer. You can’t fault the Mets for taking advantage.
This story will likely come down to what Alonso wants. Is he hell-bent on getting paid? Does he want the legacy of retiring as a Met and being the franchise home-run leader? Would he rather wait until March or April to get a deal he may not get?
Patience can be a virtue, but at what point does it become a hindrance?
Alonso has been trying to get a deal for months without success. The Mets reportedly offered Alonso a three-year contract worth between $68 million and $70 million, with an opt-out after the first year, but he and his agent, Scott Boras, rejected it.
Good luck with getting a deal like that now. His value may be even lower, especially after the Blue Jays signed Anthony Santander to a five-year, $92.5 million contract and are reportedly after free agent Jurickson Profar.
As for other alternatives, it doesn’t make sense for the San Francisco Giants to give the Met’s first baseman a deal because home runs hitters don’t flourish at Oracle Park. The same can be said for Comerica Park in Detroit. Moreover, Alonso’s salary demands are likely too pricey for small market clubs.
The Mets star is 30, and you have to assume his power numbers will decline as he ages. Alonso hit 34 home runs this year and has averaged 41 home runs per year over the last three seasons. Besides, Alonso is a modern-day Dave Kingman because he does little for a team other than hit homers. So, when you combine age and his limited overall contribution, Alonso blew it in 2023 when he rejected a seven-year, $158 million offer.
From where I stand, Alonso has it good by staying with the Mets–even if he doesn’t get the deal he thought he would get. Here are three reasons why.
–First, he would continue playing in a passionate baseball market with extensive press coverage and where fans live and die with the team.
–Second, he would bat behind Juan Soto, something most players would salivate over.
–Finally, he would be playing for a World Series contender.
I still think and hope Alonso will reach a deal with the Mets because he strikes me as a common-sense guy. Why keep searching for an alternative that’s unlikely there?
