Maybe Pete Alonso’s plan all along was to return to the Mets. Now it might be all he’s got left unless he’s willing to change plans on what he was searching for when free agency began.
Scott Boras is reportedly using Prince Fielder's nine-year, $214M contract as a comparison for what Pete Alonso should get in free agency https://t.co/NrtOMAGb4j pic.twitter.com/TQvcdxirgN
— SNY (@SNYtv) January 7, 2025
Alonso’s closest comp when free agency began was Christian Walker. Alonso is three and a half years younger but doesn’t carry the golden glove that Walker yields.
Walker went off the board when he signed just before Christmas with Houston. 3 years $60 million. Houston was never a landing spot for Alonso, no way they would shell out the extra cash and years.
The Yankees took themselves out of the conversation two days before Walker signed with the Astros. If they were going to lash back at the Mets for signing Juan Soto it wouldn’t be with Alonso after they grabbed Paul Goldschmidt.
Plenty of teams rumored for Alonso
Walker’s departure from Arizona left a hole in their line-up. The Diamondbacks promptly picked up Josh Naylor in a trade with Cleveland. Washington getting back in the free agency game? The Nationals made a deal of their own, getting Nathaniel Lowe from Texas.
Landing spots were drying up and it was becoming uncreasingly clear that teams ewre not prepared to meet Alonso’s asking price. There was no shortage of interest in his services, Anaheim, San Francisco, Boston and of course the ever present Blue Jays.
Back to the Mets?
Alonso has obviously kept in touch with the folks in Queens. It’s the only franchise he has ever played for. They certainly appear to be on the way up with last year’s playoff appearance and the Soto signing.
Pete Alonso's camp has offered the Mets a three-year deal with opt outs, per @JimDuquetteGM
This deal is only available to the Mets at this moment, per Duquette pic.twitter.com/wXod36UDr7
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) January 10, 2025
Alonso’s problem of course as he circles back to the Mets is that they know what everybody else knows. He hasn’t been able to get his big contract anywhere else. It makes no sense for the Mets to bargain against themselves.
The good news is that the Mets still have the opening at first. Steve Cohen still has oodles of cash, teammates and fans still love him, so it seems like the best thing all the way around. Now if Pete can just find a way to live on about $90 million over the next three years the Mets can fill a void left by…Pete.
