The Pete Alonso Conundrum

[MFS62]

Welcome. Nice avatar.

Later

[kcmets]

T-minus 30:00 and counting...

29:59

29.58

29.57

[DanielTigerSS]

T-minus 30:00 and counting...

29:59

29.58

29.57

 

To what? It's January 15th. Long time to go before it matters.

[metirish]

[TWEET]

[/TWEET]

 

Hold the line

Love isn′t always on time

Whoa, whoa, whoa

Hold the line

Love isn't always on time

Whoa, whoa, whoa

[ashie62]

Jim Duquette did an interview on something called "Foul Territory". Basically says that Pete and Stearns are in a stare down. Pete wants them to come up to his number and Stearns doesn't feel the need to bid against himself.

Duquette suggested that Cohen may need to step in.

No numbers from either side were mentioned.

 

I've thought for months that it will take Cohen to step in and get a deal done. Time will tell

[ashie62]

Wittingly or unwittingly I believe Duquette got used by Boras and in at least until now the Mets have called his bluff

 

I hope he's not similarly using Gary Apple and Todd Zeile.

 

Have we considered using Apple and Zeile to get this done?

No chance on that?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Poor Alonso. So long as he prefers to play for the Mets and no other team seems willing to top the Mets offer, Alonso has absolutely no leverage here. None.

[Frayed Knot]

This thread turns two years old tomorrow.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Poor Alonso. So long as he prefers to play for the Mets and no other team seems willing to top the Mets offer, Alonso has absolutely no leverage here. None.

 

This, of course, could change. There's always the chance that another team could step in and up the Mets offer. But the Mets are probably assuming that Alonso wants so badly to remain a Met, that he'd give the Mets a chance to match or top that offer (unlike deGrom).

[batmagadanleadoff]

Jim Duquette did an interview on something called "Foul Territory". Basically says that Pete and Stearns are in a stare down. Pete wants them to come up to his number and Stearns doesn't feel the need to bid against himself.

Duquette suggested that Cohen may need to step in.

No numbers from either side were mentioned.

 

I've thought for months that it will take Cohen to step in and get a deal done. Time will tell

Or maybe Cohen and Stearns are on the same page. There doesn't seem to be another market for Alonso. And Cohen has to establish that he's not gonna pay free agents whatever the hell they wanna get paid just because he's baseball's wealthiest owner.

[TheNextMetsManager]

At no point should the owner "step in". The whole point of having a POBO is to keep the owner from butting in. Just sign the checks and let baseball people do the baseball stuff.

[Frayed Knot]

Mets pushing Pete for an answer -- Joel Sher-Man and Jon Hey-Man

While the sides are said to be making progress on at least the structure of a proposed deal that’s expected to be for three years and include at least one opt out, there was no word by Wednesday that the sides have closed the substantial financial hurdle that’s hung over these high-profile talks regarding the star free-agent first baseman.

And the Mets have let Alonso’s camp know they need a decision — and soon — on whether the two sides can do a deal as they want to make sure to leave themselves enough time and options to pivot elsewhere prior to spring training

It is unknown if the Mets have given Boras/Alonso a specific deadline for an answer one way or the other.

The article goes on to list the Giants, Angels, Mariners, Jays, and Red Sox as potential landing spots for Pete if not in Queens.

And also talks about Vientos to 1B with some combo of Baty, Acuna, Mauricio taking over at 3rd as a possible in-house solution for a post-Petey world.

[batmagadanleadoff]

The Athletic is reporting that Alonso's market is starting to heat up, with three other teams, including the Blue Jays, in talks with Boras. The Jays, though, would prefer to keep Guerrero.

[Benjamin Grimm]

That article suggests that the Jays might put Alonso at first base and move Guerrero to third base. Or let one of them be a DH. So Pete/Vlad isn't necessarily an either/or for Toronto.

[G-Fafif]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/martinonyc/status/1879959082477711532[/tweet]

[Benjamin Grimm]

I hope that's not an accurate take, but if it is, so be it.

[metsmarathon]

if so, what a colossal failure for both sides to come together.

[Lefty Specialist]

Don't want to talk about him in the past tense yet, but there was a deal for Alonso to be had. If they didn't get it done, I'll bet it was more on Boras/Alonso than the Mets.

Still need a hitter. Either at 1st/3rd or DH, because the current lineup even with Soto won't get it done. And work needs to be done on the bullpen pronto.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Don't want to talk about him in the past tense yet, but there was a deal for Alonso to be had. If they didn't get it done, I'll bet it was more on Boras/Alonso than the Mets.

 

 

Can't blame the Alonso camp if they end up getting a better deal from some team other than the Mets.

[Fman99]

It'd be a pretty big bummer to see him wearing someone else's colors in 2025. Especially if the intent is to not sign Bregman or Santander and just go with the cheaper in-house options (Acuna, Mauricio, Baty), none of which have a proven MLB track record.

So we're potentially plus Soto but minus Alonso, and JD Martinez's numbers. And the rotation is a downgrade from the 2024 rotation, at least on paper. So I'm not getting a warm fuzzy from this one

[ashie62]

Blue Jays are looking to win this season. They are still in the Sasaki derby. You might hear some Vlad trade rumors at the deadline this season but not now

I'm expecting the Mets to sign Anthony Santander

At that point it becomes Pete are you on board or not?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Don't want to talk about him in the past tense yet, but there was a deal for Alonso to be had. If they didn't get it done, I'll bet it was more on Boras/Alonso than the Mets.

 

 

Can't blame the Alonso camp if they end up getting a better deal from some team other than the Mets.

 

If you wanna blame, blame eff Wilpon for selling out the Mets future. Alonso shouldn't even be a free agent this off-season.

[Buck4Prez]

Don't want to talk about him in the past tense yet, but there was a deal for Alonso to be had. If they didn't get it done, I'll bet it was more on Boras/Alonso than the Mets.

 

 

Can't blame the Alonso camp if they end up getting a better deal from some team other than the Mets.

 

If you wanna blame, blame eff Wilpon for selling out the Mets future. Alonso shouldn't even be a free agent this off-season.

 

It's been like 5 years. wtf cares about the Wilpons? It's 2025, if they don't want to 'overpay' Alonso, that's a decision, but it's not super useful to armchair GM the way you think things happened 6 years ago.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Can't blame the Alonso camp if they end up getting a better deal from some team other than the Mets.

 

If you wanna blame, blame eff Wilpon for selling out the Mets future. Alonso shouldn't even be a free agent this off-season.

 

It's been like 5 years. wtf cares about the Wilpons? It's 2025, if they don't want to 'overpay' Alonso, that's a decision, but it's not super useful to armchair GM the way you think things happened 6 years ago.

 

It's a factor. It's not the only factor and it's not even the main factor, but it's definitely a factor and something to consider..

Not useful to what? Do you think that my post is gonna screw up the Alonso negotiations?

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/martinonyc/status/1879959082477711532[/tweet]

 

I am hoping this is just some hardball negotiating.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I am hoping this is just some hardball negotiating.

 

I am too. But I've survived the departures of Seaver (twice!), Staub, Strawberry, Gooden, Alfonzo, Reyes, deGrom and others, so if Pete goes life will go on.

But yes, I do hope this is just posturing on the Mets' part. And it may well be.

[Centerfield]

I take all of this with a grain of salt. The Mets front office doesn't leak. So figure everything you're hearing is coming from Boras, especially since Heyman is one of the guys reporting this. Stearns/Mets don't benefit in any way from news that they are pivoting to plan B. Boras does. The news comes out. Mets fans get outraged. Boras tries to use that to ramp up the pressure on the Mets.

When the Soto saga was going on, the numbers were leaked constantly. Because it benefited Boras/Soto to have the numbers floated around so teams would increase their bids. With Pete's side, it's been a week and there's been no release of Pete's demands. This suggests that Boras doesn't want those numbers to be known.

I think this is all a negotiation ploy, and that eventually the two sides will agree upon a deal.

[Channel9]

When Strawberry left for L.A. it was the same kind of sentiment. In retrospect it was the right move. Straw had one good year and then pfft. I’m as big an Alonso fan as there is, but you know sometimes you gotta just cut bait.

[Frayed Knot]

The Mets made what they perceived as a last-ditch effort to sign Pete Alonso by offering him a three-year contract in the $68 million to $70 million range and, when that was rejected, began their pivot away from their slugging first baseman, The Post has learned.

The Mets did not send out a statement that the Alonso Era was done. But they have come to believe – without some unexpected late reversal — that it is.

Joel Sherman -- https://nypost.com/2025/01/16/sports/what-the-mets-were-offering-pete-alonso-before-talks-broke-down/

Not sounding too much like a negotiation ploy.

[metirish]

Damn, that looks like an offer he has to reject