Despite the pain points, Pete Alonso and the Mets both need each other...
And could Pete look towards Yoenis Céspedes type deal from a few years ago as motivation?
What’s up with the Mets? 🍎
Pete Alonso pivoting to a Yoenis Cespedes type deal with the Mets makes sense on both sides (SI)
Scott Boras has proposed a player opt-out with a buy out proposal for Pete Alonso to the Mets (WFAN)
Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza assured Clay Holmes he will remain in the rotation even if he struggles (New York Post)
Rumor Mill 💨
Astros RHP Cristian Javier is targeting a 2nd half return from Tommy John surgery (KPRC2)
Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak would like to create a clean slate for his successor, a philosophy that is guiding the Guardians roster decisions this winter (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
Former Mets righty Chris Mazza threw for interested teams yesterday as he attempts to return from Tommy John surgery that cost him all of 2024 (FanSided)
The Padres are expected to have a top 10 payroll in 2025 (San Diego Union Tribune)
The Diamondbacks are still looking for relievers and a right-handed hitter (AZ Republic)
At what point does stubborn become silly? ✍️
On Saturday, Mets owner Steve Cohen described negotiations with Pete Alonso and his agent, Scott Boras, as “exhausting,” which feels like an accurate way to describe all Mets fans’ attitudes towards the situation.
The will he or won’t he dance the Mets have been doing with Alonso for months at this point has been a daily talking point and has in many ways become the theme of New York’s offseason—which is saying something considering this is the same winter the club signed Juan Soto, remember him?
My personal take on the Alonso situation is that it reminds me an awful lot of trying to put my four-year-old daughter, Marlowe, to sleep.
Everybody involved knows what the best ultimate end point is. And we all want to end up there. But in the meantime, there are endless amounts of:
“But what about this?”
“How about this?”
“But I don’t want to!”
“That’s not fair!”“
Alonso may have some sour grapes towards the Mets right now simply because the team will not budge on their opinion of his projected value moving forward. I’m sure he feels like he deserves closer to his asking price given everything he has accomplished and done for this organization over the last six years.
But at the end of the day, anything in life is only worth what somebody will pay for it.
And what Alonso and Boras have found is that no other teams are stepping up to blow the Mets offer out of the water.
A lot has been written about Alonso being worth more to the Mets than anybody else, which I wholeheartedly agree with. There is no question the Mets are a better team in 2025 with him at first base than they would be with Mark Vientos shifting to the other corner and Brett Baty assuming the hot corner.
But this goes both ways.
The Mets are worth more to Alonso than any other prospective destination would be. If he comes back, the veteran slugger will break the Mets career home run record this summer. If he returns on a multi-year deal, he’ll have an opportunity to push that record well into the 300s, and hitting in the middle of a lineup that includes Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto will give him a chance to put up massive RBI totals as well. The Mets should be good—very good—in the coming years, and after finishing six wins short of the ultimate prize in 2024, this team is positioned to hopefully have a chance to win just the 3rd World Series title in its history.
For further context, the only two hitters to connect on more home runs in a Mets uniform at the moment are Darryl Strawberry and David Wright. Alonso just watched the team retire Strawberry’s number last summer and listened to his speech on the field about how the greatest regret in his career was leaving Queens as a free agent. Wright’s number will be retired this July.
Alonso is staring at a potential legacy that could include number 20 being retired at Citi Field and being remembered as the first baseman of one of this franchise’s few title-winning teams.
There is simply nothing in any other city that can compete with what all that would mean long after his playing days are over.
There has been a lot of speculation about Toronto being a potential destination. And I gotta be honest, I just can’t really see it.
If Alonso headed north of the border, he would join a team whose face—Vladimir Guerrero Jr.—plays his position. We all know Guerrero is set to be a free agent at year’s end, and depending on how the Alonso situation plays out, we could be having a more detailed conversation about him next December.
But I digress.
If Pete went to Toronto, he would be committing to essentially being solely a DH and a part-time first baseman. For someone who has been so vocal about his dedication towards improving defensively, I just don’t see that as an attractive option.
There’s also been a little bit of smoke about the Angels, but how has it worked out for any free agent that’s gone there in recent memory? And why would he want to sign there even on a short-term deal?
At the end of the day, Alonso and the Mets both need each other. The fit is too snug for both sides to ignore. I sincerely hope the two can meet in the middle on a deal that maybe neither side loves but can live with.
And if the Mets are really not willing to budge even a little bit, I would hope Alonso would heed Strawberry’s advice and realize that years from now, leaving Queens in search of a minimal amount of extra dollars is something he’ll regret when his playing days are over. Nobody likes swallowing their pride and admitting to losing a negotiation, but sometimes life happens.
Around the League 🚩
Right-handed closer Ryan Pressly waived his no trade clause to facilitate a trade that will send him from Houston to the Cubs (Athletic)
Trevor Bauer is signing with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in the NPB for the 2025 season (Nikkan Sports)
"Nobody likes swallowing their pride and admitting to losing a negotiation, but sometimes life happens."
And that's the bottom line. Pete and Boras have already lost. It's over. Whatever they've actually put on the table, they're not getting it.
That doesn't mean they can't find a fair deal, or get to something approximating market, or even a little better. If we figure current WAR value to be something in the neighborhood of between $6 million and $8 million, Pete should be fine with a $25 million AAV. It's arguably a premium.
Three years might be short in his eyes, but as the S.I. article pointed out, three years at $75 million with opt outs worked great for Cespedes (maybe not so great for the Mets). Pete could take a similar deal, go out there and crush it in 2025, opt out and get the contract Vladdy would be looking at.
So, this can still get done. But it might take a cold shower to get there.
This is sucking the air out of the room. It's too much of a ying and a yang. February is almost here and Pete is like a sheet twisting out on the clothes line. Every day this drags on you lose more value. Dump your agent, sit with Sterns and if needed Cohen, and come back home