As it nears the end of December, first baseman Pete Alonso remains a free agent, and it’s looking increasingly likely that the slugger will return to the Mets.
Speaking on “Fair Territory” this week, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal said that’s the sense around the league.
“The entire industry believes (the Mets) are going to re-sign Pete Alonso,” he said.
Alonso, a Scott Boras client, always was expected to test the market this offseason. Now, the Mets have the clearest hole at first base after their competition — the New York Yankees (Paul Goldschmidt), Houston Astros (Christian Walker), Arizona Diamondbacks (Josh Naylor) and Nationals (Nathaniel Lowe) ― have filled their needs at the position.
“It’s looking like Pete overplayed his hand,” a major league scout told John Harper of SNY this week. “Teams aren’t willing to invest long-term in any big way for a right-handed-hitting first baseman in his 30s, especially coming off a so-so year.
The Mets reportedly offered Alonso a seven-year, $158 million extension during the 2023 season, which he declined.
“He should have taken the Mets’ offer a year ago,” the scout said. “Now he’s in a bad spot because Boras probably told him he’d get X amount of years and dollars, and when those offers aren’t there we all know Scott’s strategy is to play the waiting game, even though it backfired on him last winter.”
Alonso has spent his entire career with the Mets since being drafted in 2016. He’s become the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year and a four-time All-Star selection. In 2024, he hit .240 with a .788 OPS, 34 home runs and 88 RBI.
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