The "pivot" from Pete Alonso...

Plus, the plan for Mark Vientos, and a long-injured Mets prospect is hopeful for a healthy camp

What’s up with the Mets? 🍎

• The Mets signed LHP AJ Minter to a two-year, $22 million contract with a player opt-out (story)

• RHP Matt Allan - the Mets third round pick in the 2019 draft - is expected to be healthy and pitching in spring training after missing most of the last four years with arm injuries (New York Post)

• Mark Vientos has been working out at third base all winter - his transition to first base, if needed, would take place during spring training (New York Post)

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Rumor Mill 💨

• LHP Tanner Scott could sign this weekend, with the Cubs among his top suitors (MLB Network)

• The Blue Jays are engaged in talks with OF Anthony Santander (Sportsnet)

• The Twins are still actively exploring trades (Athletic)

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What exactly is the “pivot” away from Pete Alonso? ✍️

First off, I want to say right off the bat I am not angry that the Mets and Pete Alonso have reached this breaking point in their negotiation. I am not even surprised at this point, either. When all of the first basemen who signed in late December and Alonso’s market collapsed, I felt the longer it took for the two sides to agree, the less likely it would be they would actually agree even if there was seemingly nowhere else for Alonso to go.

The Mets have obviously been using that limited market to their advantage in their negotiation and are playing hardball. Alonso obviously has some sour grapes topped off with a missed assessment on his market value, and those ingredients are never good for a negotiation.

I totally get the Mets’ position on this. They see his statistical trend over the last couple of years despite a wonderful postseason with respect to how other players who match his profile have trended and proceeded into their 30s over the course of history, and there are undoubtedly red flags which could ultimately be hard to watch as a potential next chapter in this relationship unfolds.

It might’ve already started to get hard to watch, to be fair.

I also get Alonso’s position on this. Only one player has hit more home runs in the major leagues since he arrived in 2019, and that is Aaron Judge. Aside from an abysmal season in 2024 with runners in scoring position, he has a .911 OPS in such situations throughout his career. Despite what the peripheral numbers suggest, he still has 80 home runs in the last two years, the fifth most in the majors. There is merit and value to all of that.

But Alonso clearly overplayed his hand. Perhaps if he had played it closer to the middle from the beginning, as in between both Freddie Freeman and Matt Olson in average annual value, he might’ve still gotten the long-term deal he wanted and signed back with the Mets long before this negotiation clearly became toxic.

But, this is the risk of becoming a free agent, especially at a non-premium position coming up on the wrong side of 30. It’s a business, and for Alonso, clearly a cold one, which is arguably underappreciating the good things he does and has done for the Mets. Every player who earns the required amount of service time earns the right to test free agency, see what he is worth, and try and get as much money and security as possible. But as we have seen in recent years, organizations have shrugged their shoulders at the risk of signing older players to long-term deals, which has spoiled the experience for most, since most players reach free agency between the ages of 29-31 and most are seeking contracts which will pay the majority of the money in their post-prime years.

If this is how it has to be, it’s sad. Business aside, we are all fans, and most of us wanted Alonso to be a Met for life and to shatter all of the club’s offensive records and cement his place as a New York sports icon. That stuff may matter more for the fans than it does a modern front office, and it is their responsibility to sift through the noise to the truth and be as risk-averse as they can when it comes to making such massive investments into the product.

But there’s still that fan element to players like Alonso, who is a homegrown star and the most prolific power hitter the franchise has ever produced. And whether the Mets and Alonso can figure this out or not, the club has that responsibility to own up to it when it’s all said and done, since the fans are the ones who ultimately foot the bill in one form or another.

Now, onto this so-called, “pivot.”

What exactly is that?

I get the notion of buying wins, and I think the front office can conceptually buy replacement wins with multiple players if they lose Alonso. But the thing is, the Mets needed Jesse Winker or a left-handed utility outfielder anyway. They needed AJ Minter anyway (and now need a swing-and-miss right-handed reliever).

To me, the Mets haven’t “pivoted” with players they needed, whether they sign Alonso back or not.

Yet, anyway.

Are the Mets really going to kid themselves on a plan B that includes moving Mark Vientos to first base (who isn’t very good there either and has hardly played there) and a tryout among three players who consist of someone who has never gotten it over parts of three years in the majors (Brett Baty), a prospect who has missed an entire year because of an ACL tear (Ronny Mauricio), and a career middle infield prospect who they were trying to move to second base (Luisangel Acuña)?

It’s really hard to believe the Mets would go into the season with one of the largest payrolls in the sport and only one sure thing on their infield in Francisco Lindor. I am not saying they all can’t and won’t be successful, but it’s hard to engineer three infield positions at the big league level all at the same time and on the fly.

Like, really hard, especially for a team that wants to win a World Series.

Of course, I don’t think this means the Mets will ultimately sign Alonso at this point. Again, it sure feels like that ship is leaving the yard. But there has to be another way. I think it’s perfectly fine to allow one infield position to develop organically, and I’d even argue two since the Mets would be forced to see how the situation evolves with Vientos at first base.

But three? Come on. Vientos isn’t even working out at first base right now.

And no, I don’t think that means the Mets are going to sell the farm now to trade for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. It’s clear they’d rather use money 11 months from now rather than prospect currency now and money 11 months from now to get him.

Would they sign Anthony Santander as a switch-hitting designated hitter and ask him to play first base? I mean, why not sign Alonso back at that point? He’s better and a far better fit.

Would they take a risk on Nolan Arenado if St. Louis would eat a lot of what’s left on his deal? He may not hit the way he used to, but he’s still a great defensive player, and Arenado would reportedly waive his no-trade clause to join the Mets. I’d take elite defense at third at a discount for a couple of years, see if Vientos develops at first base and let Acuña, Mauricio, and Jeff McNeil duke it out at second base.

Whatever the solution is, it won’t be conventional.

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Around the League 🚩

• RHP Roki Sasaki has agreed to sign with the Dodgers (personal announcement)

• The A’s continued to add to their payroll, signing RHP José Leclerc to a one-year, $10 million contract (official)

• RHP Shintaro Fujinami and the Mariners are in agreement on a minor league contract (MLB Network)

• Former Met C Tomás Nido is re-signing with the Tigers on a minor league contract (MMO)