Heading into the current offseason, the New York Mets' power-hitting first baseman Pete Alonso appeared to have some of the brightest prospects in the free agent market, with up to seven teams appearing ready to bid for the 30-year-old's services. According to various projections, was in line for a contract running anywhere from $174 million over six years, to $300 million over nine.
Less than two months later, the market for Alonso, who in his rookie year of 2019 belted 53 home runs, has dried up. Or at least it has narrowed significantly. Alonso's future in Major League Baseball has become clouded with significant doubt.
Following the 2023 season the Mets offered Alonso a seven-year contract extension worth $158 million, according to a New York Post report. That wasn't too far off from the seven-year, $162 million contract given to former National League MVP Freddie Freeman when he signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers the previous year.
But Alonso spurned the Mets' offer. So far, the bet he placed on himself has not paid off. As Alonso waits and reportedly meets with teams, he has watched several franchises fill their first base needs.
The Houston Astros signed former Arizona Diamondback Christian Walker. The New York Yankees, whose interest in Alonso was reported to be lukewarm at best anyway, signed veteran Paul Goldschmidt, albeit to a one-year deal. The Washington Nationals traded with the Texas Rangers to add Gold Glover Nathaniel Lowe.
The Diamondbacks then traded to pick up All-Star Josh Naylor from the Cleveland Guardians, who promptly filled their new first base vacancy by signing free agent Carlos Santana to a one-year, $12 million deal.
Where does all of this first base movement leave Alonso? On the outside looking in.
Current odds are on Alonso simply returning to the Mets, but without the leverage to command the type of contract he has been projected to receive in free agency. The site MLB Trade Rumors had predicted that Alonso would receive a contract for five years at $125 million, but according to the Mets blog Metsmerized Online, "Alonso may not exactly land a deal that long unless it includes opt outs."
If that occurs, Alonso may face the choice of accepting a contract well below what the Mets offered him a year ago, or not playing at all in 2025.