Two things to consider in the Pete Alonso calculus

Plus, injury updates on Brandon Nimmo, Dedniel Nunez, Paul Blackburn, AJ Minter, and Ronny Mauricio

New York Post

What’s up with the Mets? 🍎

• Scott Boras - who is representing Pete Alonso - feels his client’s parameters are fair and not extraordinary with respect to other All-Star caliber players (Athletic)

• Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza said, in advance of the possibility of Pete Alonso departing, both Mark Vientos and Brett Baty have begun working at first base during their off-season workouts. He also noted both Jared Young and Joey Meneses - who are non-roster invitees - could be options at first base as well

• The Mets unveiled their 2025 road jersey at Amazin’ Day at Citi Field on Saturday, paying homage to their 1987 road jersey with the “NEW YORK” script on front (video)

• Clay Holmes has begun his transition program to a starter in Port St. Lucie

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Injury Updates 🏥

• Brandon Nimmo - who dealt with plantar fasciitis in 2024 - has not added running to his off-season workouts yet

• AJ Minter - who underwent hip surgery in August - has not yet begun to throw off a mound. He hopes to do so this week

• Ronny Mauricio - who tore his ACL in December, 2023 and had surgery to remove scar tissue in the knee last summer - is performing all baseball activities except for sprinting. He will not be sprinting by the time spring training begins on February 12

• Dedniel Nunez - who suffered an elbow strain that cost him much of the second half in 2024 - is throwing bullpen sessions in the Dominican Republic

• Paul Blackburn - who underwent spinal leak surgery in October - just began to throw lightly from a mound this week

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What Steve Cohen said about Pete Alonso… 🎥

Video courtesy of SNY

Mets owner and CEO Steve Cohen discussed the latest between the Mets and Pete Alonso on Saturday at Citi Field:

• The Mets have made a significant offer to Alonso

• The negotiation has been “exhausting” - he doesn’t like the structures being countered to the Mets, describing them as “asymmetrical”

• They will not close the door on signing Alonso, but it might get harder to fit him into the equation as they pursue other improvements

• If Alonso’s position doesn’t change, the club is prepared to move forward without him

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Rumor Mill 💨

• The Brewers and the Cubs are showing interest in RHP Ryne Stanek (MLB.com)

• Alex Bregman and the Astros have had positive conversations recently, but GM Dana Brown still views a reunion as a long shot (MLB.com)

• The Red Sox would sign Bregman to a short-term deal (Boston Globe)

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Two things which might be factoring into the Pete Alonso calculus… ✍️

New York Post

There’s quite a bit to reflect on and respond to from Saturday’s “Amazin’ Day” at Citi Field.

First off, it’s hard not to appreciate Steve Cohen’s honesty and transparency regarding the state of the Pete Alonso negotiation. There aren’t many owners in professional sports who would be willing to specifically comment on the status and nature of such negotiations, but I think he recognized the need in that forum to address the matter as specifically as he could.

I mean, neither he nor David Stearns were getting out of there without putting some meat on that bone.

I don’t think there was anything said specifically that we might not have already surmised. After all, it’s late January, Alonso isn’t signed, and the Mets are not budging on their primary positions on their offer’s parameters. The two sides continue to not see eye to eye on the player’s value or forecast, and it doesn’t seem as though these foundational problems are close to a resolution. That much was and remains clear - it’s just now been put into words by the chief negotiator in public.

I don’t think Mr. Cohen was posturing or trying to negotiate this deal in public in an effort to force Alonso’s hand. I think his comments were sincere and as he put it, “brutally honest,” whether I like it or not or they were what I wanted to hear or not (spoiler alert - they were not what I wanted to hear). I can’t imagine Mr. Cohen’s comments sat well with Alonso or Scott Boras, as evidenced by Boras’s response to the Athletic shortly after they were made.

I also don’t think anyone should be pointing fingers and trying to find fault. None of that matters. I mean, if it makes you feel better to blame Alonso, blame the Mets, or blame both, okay, but that’s just silly. This is a business negotiation, and sometimes people simply can’t see eye to eye on a candidate’s value. I’m sure many of you who are reading this today have sought jobs in your respective field and asked for more money than a potential employer was willing to pay at some point in your life. That’s what this is, and that’s all it is. It’s not personal for the Mets - they would love to have Pete back and they’d welcome him with open arms if they can come to terms on what they feel is a fair deal.

Now, and with all due respect to Alonso, of course, clearly he isn’t seeing eye to eye with any club on his value right now. And as I said at the beginning of the winter, if this is the position he is going to take, he is going to be a free agent for a very long time.

And so, here we are.

Associated Press

Now, it doesn’t mean the comments can’t serve as part of the club’s negotiation strategy. After all, it wouldn’t appear Alonso has a lot of leverage or any momentum towards a deal with another club at this time. But it wouldn’t exactly serve the club an advantage on the matter to come out and basically say Alonso’s demands are unfair to us, this is exhausting to us, he is asking for more than he is worth, etc. One might believe that would make whatever sour grapes Alonso has at this point even more sour and just drive him to sign what might ultimately be a prove-it deal elsewhere and try to shove it up the Mets collective asses with a big year in 2025.

Having said that, I still don’t know what the Mets answer would be should Alonso sign elsewhere. That’s not to say I think the Mets need to find a starting first baseman right now. I don’t really think there are viable options available to them either in free agency or trade. Sure, they can find band-aids there, but the next best move would be to move Mark Vientos to first base for now and go find a solution either at third or at second and leave one of those open for their younger players.

I also don’t think the Mets position on Alonso is necessarily about punting first base for a year and waiting to sign Vladimir Guerrero Jr. I don’t think that’s a slam dunk by any means, and if he can work out a deal with the Blue Jays by his spring training deadline, that game is over before it starts.

Also - are the Mets really going to have a third mega deal on their books and lock in three positions on the field for the next decade-plus, especially with a player like Guerrero who is already a minus defender and like Alonso, not the most athletic player who could project poorly into his 30s? As rich as this owner is, I am not sure that’s symmetrical for the club’s roster either, as Mr. Cohen put it.

What I do think could be in play is the club possibly keeping the seat warm for 21-year-old Ryan Clifford, a first base prospect the club acquired from the Astros for Justin Verlander in 2023 who is about a year away from helping at the big league level. The Mets once again maintained their position on Saturday about not blocking their prospects from the big leagues, and while I don’t think Clifford is a shoe-in for 2026, it would seem more logical to be as flexible as possible at first base, whether it’s for Clifford, Guerrero, or some other player, and look to make acquisitions where they don’t have impactful players in the pipeline.

He is currently ranked the seventh-best first base prospect according to MLB.com, has big power but has to work on his contact-ability as he heads back to the upper minors in 2025, as he struck out 160 times in 2024 at Binghamton and Brooklyn. He can play in the outfield but Clifford is a first baseman by trade and clubs typically don’t shift players off of their primary positions until there’s a definite need for one reason or another, so I expect him to continue to primarily play first base in 2025.

Maybe they believe Clifford can have more value to the Mets than Alonso over the next 3-5 years at a fraction of the cost? Who knows in the end, but it’s possible that’s at least a part of their calculus and partly why they’re drawing a hard line in the sand on the matter.

Certainly, I believe the Mets a potential pursuit of Guerrero - should he reach free agency - will be determined in part by Clifford’s progress in 2025.

No matter what, all of that is later, and there’s still 2025 to deal with. And as I wrote on Saturday, I am just not buying into what the Mets are selling at first, second, or third right now. I think Vientos will be fine at first if he’s the choice. I think there’s a lot of exciting upside with Luisangel Acuña and what he might be able to offer either at second or third, but again, the Mets can’t go into the season with three infield positions completely blown up. Brett Baty has only shown ineffectiveness over parts of three seasons in the big leagues. Ronny Mauricio - at least right now - can’t even be considered a factor for opening day given his slow recovery and need for meaningful playing time as part of his recovery. And as for Jeff McNeil, he was kind of out of a job during the playoffs upon returning from his broken hand.

No, they need an established presence at either second or third, and then it would be fine to let the prospects plus McNeil duke it out for the other position. I am not sure where they can turn to right now for an answer, although there are more external options at third base than there are anywhere else.

They could entertain a team-friendly trade for Nolan Arenado, which, if St. Louis could be willing to eat a lot of that money, would be a stabilizing defensive force at third at a minimum. Of course, the more money a team asks St. Louis to eat, the more prospect currency would have to be in a trade package. There’s also Alex Bregman, who, like Alonso, would have to lower his demands in order to be an opportunity for the Mets to pursue.

Again, if the Mets can’t sign Alonso, fine. But the pivot is not ‘well, we will just give all of our young players a chance at three infield positions.’ They’re not going to get enough wins to compensate for the loss of Alonso out of an “everything must break right” strategy. That’s hoping it all works out, and that isn’t a strategy.

There has to be a major league alternative, and the Mets need to find that alternative in the coming weeks.

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Around the League 🚩

• Carlos Correa has fully recovered from his plantar fasciitis and is ready to go at 100% for spring training (Star Tribune)

• Neither Lance McCullers Jr. or Luis García will be ready for the Astros on Opening Day (Athletic)

• Charlie Blackmon is joining the Rockies as a special assistant to the GM (official)