Mets are pivoting away from re-signing Pete Alonso

Mets are pivoting away from re-signing Pete Alonso

It appears the New York Mets will be moving away from re-signing Pete Alonso, with SNY’s Andy Martino reporting Thursday that they expect him to sign elsewhere following the signing of Jesse Winker.

The Mets have pivoted to plan B, post-Alonso. They now consider it the most likely outcome that Alonso will sign elsewhere. They add Winker and will add a reliever, possibly a top one.

— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) January 16, 2025

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, there was still a “financial hurdle” that existed between the two parties. Time was ticking on them to improve their roster and they have reportedly been in “active talks with other players” that could make it difficult to fit Alonso into their plans.

It’s not surprising that there’s a difference in the market financially between Alonso, as he is a Scott Boras client. According to Joel Sherman and Dan Martin of the New York Post, the “last-ditch” effort to re-sign Alonso was a three-year deal worth around $68-70 million, which was rejected.

Their plan now appears to be adding more bullpen arms–hello, Tanner Scott?–while possibly moving Mark Vientos to first base for 2025.

Is that a good idea? That remains to be seen. It doesn’t feel like good process to let Alonso walk for nothing without an immediate upgrade in the short-term. Soto’s arrived, but Alonso was vital to that lineup and locker room last season despite being a poor defender.

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The Mets’ plan now could signal a run for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who’s expected to be one of the best free-agent hitters on the market next offseason, along with new Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker. They were willing to drop dump trucks of money for Juan Soto, I’d expect them to try and do the same for Guerrero Jr. as well. Though both Soto and Guerrero project to play DH long-term, which could make it complicated.

As for Alonso, it would be unfortunate if another Jordan Montgomery/Blake Snell situation happened where the market dried out on him. He’s arguably better at his position than both are at theirs, so I think he could still get a bag after his age-30 season. But it’s always a gamble taking that risk, regardless of how talented you are.

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