First baseman Pete Alonso continues to be unsigned with simply over a month till pitchers and catchers report back to spring coaching, which naturally suggests he hasn’t but discovered a contract provide to his liking. Studies from Jeff Passan of ESPN and Bob Nightengale of USA In the present day recommend that he’s prone to pivot to a short-term take care of a number of opt-outs. Nightengale says eight groups, together with the Blue Jays and Crimson Sox, have not less than some degree of curiosity. Nonetheless, it’s unclear how these golf equipment are and the truth that Alonso stays accessible suggests they aren’t bowling him over with aggressive gives.
If Alonso in the end pivots to a short-term take care of opt-outs, it wouldn’t come as an enormous shock. Alonso’s agent Scott Boras went down this street final offseason with Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. All 4 of them discovered markets beneath their expectations and remained unsigned past the vacations. Every of them ultimately agreed to short-term offers with an opt-out or two, with slight variations for every particular person.
There have been causes to count on Alonso may observe that path. Alonso reportedly turned down an extension provide from the Mets in the summertime of 2023 valued at $157MM over seven years. He nonetheless had one arbitration season remaining at the moment and in the end earned $20.5MM. Which means he was successfully being provided $137MM for six free agent seasons and turned it down. In November of 2023, it was reported that he was seeking to prime the latest offers for Freddie Freeman and Matt Olson, who signed for $162MM and $168MM respectively.
However the league has usually shied away from one-dimensional right-handed-hitting sluggers like Alonso. His protection isn’t particularly effectively regarded and he’s not a burner on the basepaths. His stroll charges are first rate however not distinctive. Alonso has big house run energy however Freeman and Olson rank larger than him by way of glovework and drawing free passes.
Whereas Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols every obtained over $200MM, these offers had been each over a decade in the past. Extra just lately, Paul Goldschmidt’s $130MM extension from the Cardinals is the perfect deal for a righty-swinging first baseman. Kris Bryant obtained $182MM as a defensively-limited outfielder however that deal turned bitter in a short time. Different bat-first guys like J.D. Martinez and Nick Castellanos signed for the low 9 figures.
Alonso additionally hit free company on a little bit of a down be aware. He had hit .261/.349/.535 for a 137 wRC+ by the 2022 season however slashed .229/.324/.480 over the previous two seasons for a 122 wRC+. That’s nonetheless above common offense however a group may surprise if Alonso may reverse that pattern going into his age-30 season. He additionally rejected a qualifying provide and is subsequently tied to the related penalties for any membership that indicators him.
Taking all that into consideration, it appeared doable that there could be a discrepancy between Alonso’s asking worth and what groups could be prepared to supply. At first of the offseason, MLBTR thought-about predicting Alonso for a deal just like what Bellinger in the end signed with the Cubs final offseason, which was $80MM over three years with two opt-outs. That appeared too daring a stance to take at the beginning of the offseason, so we backed down and went with $125MM over 5 years, although noting that the Bellinger path was an actual risk. Final month, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that such a deal was changing into more and more doubtless and this week’s reporting provides to that.
Returning to the Mets continues to be a risk, as they haven’t accomplished something to fill Alonso’s spot at first base. It’s been speculated that they may transfer Mark Vientos over from third, since his protection on the sizzling nook isn’t sturdy and he’s able to enjoying first. They may then cowl third base internally with a mixture of Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio or Luisangel Acuña, or maybe an exterior addition like Alex Bregman. Nonetheless, the door to Alonso returning continues to be open.
Different golf equipment have been tied to Alonso, however the matches are principally a bit awkward. The Yankees reportedly had Alonso on their record of backup plans for the occasion they didn’t signal Juan Soto however they ultimately signed Goldschmidt to cowl first base. The Giants may maybe be a match however they’ve Bryce Eldridge ready within the wings. The Angels have reportedly thought-about bringing in Alonso and transferring incumbent first baseman Nolan Schanuel to the outfield, a place he hasn’t performed as an expert.
The Jays and Crimson Sox are additionally pretty inelegant matches. Boston already has a nook infield logjam with Rafael Devers at third, Triston Casas at first and Masataka Yoshida a candidate for normal run because the designated hitter. Since Devers is a weak defender at third, they’ve thought-about including somebody like Bregman or Nolan Arenado and transferring Devers to first, which has led to Casas and Yoshida being in commerce rumors. Signing Alonso would jam this case even additional and make it more durable to get Devers off third. Maybe that wouldn’t be such a giant deal on a short-term deal that the membership expects him to decide out of, however it might’t be assured {that a} participant will ultimately use his opt-out. The Cubs just lately signed Bellinger with this logic and noticed him resolve to stay round, which led to a salary-dump commerce to the Yankees.
The Jays have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as their on a regular basis first baseman. He’s able to enjoying third base however solely has 14 appearances there over the previous 5 years, most of these coming because the Jays had been enjoying out the string in 2024. With Guerrero slated free of charge company subsequent winter, maybe he and Alonso may share first base and DH for a yr with Alonso taking up first in 2026, although it might be a clunky match for the 2025 season. The Jays additionally hope to increase Guerrero, which might be sophisticated by bringing Alonso into the fold.
Financially, RosterResource has the Jays simply over $10MM away from final yr’s payroll and the aggressive stability tax, nevertheless it appears they nonetheless have some cash to spend. They had been reportedly concerned with Corbin Burnes earlier than he signed with the Diamondbacks and have a suggestion out to Anthony Santander. RosterResource has the Crimson Sox nearly $30MM shy of the CBT they usually may even be prepared to cross the road this yr.
