Ex-Mets 1B Mo Vaughn offers advice to free agent first basemen

A similar scenario unfolded this offseason with Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, who had deep family ties to New York and had spent his entire career with the organization. Outside of Aaron Judge, Alonso has hit more home runs (226) than anyone since his MLB debut in 2019. But free-agent talks stalled into February, with both sides growing increasingly frustrated throughout the process.

"I think I would tell all players this—it would make life easier for them to understand that this is a business... we are commodities and we can be moved as ships," Vaughn told Mets On SI. "For me, I was taking a personal connection to the Red Sox when the Red Sox were making a business decision on my behalf. If I were understanding that more, it would have helped my time."

Unlike Alonso, Vaughn’s free agency was resolved quickly. Just over a month after the season ended, he signed a six-year, $80 million contract with Anaheim, which would equate to roughly $155 million in 2025 inflation-adjusted money.

His $13.3 million average annual value at the time surpassed Mets catcher Mike Piazza, making him baseball’s highest-paid player. Vaughn held that title for only 17 days, however, before the Los Angeles Dodgers gave right-handed pitcher Kevin Brown MLB’s first $100 million contract.

Vaughn’s tenure with the Angels got off to a rough start when he suffered a severe ankle injury after tumbling down the visitor’s dugout steps in the first inning of his first game. Despite that, he still managed to hit more than 30 home runs and drive in 100 RBIs in his first two seasons in Anaheim. 

But after missing the entire 2001 season due to a ruptured biceps tendon, he requested a trade—right at the midway point of his contract.

His decision had nothing to do with his feelings about the organization. He loved playing for manager Mike Scioscia and felt truly wanted on a team loaded with talent, but reasons beyond baseball motivated his desire to return closer to home.

"My family’s a big part of my life. My mom and dad retired when I got into pro ball to come watch me," Vaughn said. "Even though I had to fly, I hated flying… when 9/11 hit, the flight that left Boston was the flight I usually get on to come to L.A., and that just spooked the hell out of me."

At the time, the Angels were in the middle of a home series against the Seattle Mariners. Since Vaughn was out for the season, he was frequently traveling between Columbus, New York City, and Boston. Friends and family kept calling him to make sure he had not been on the Boston flight that crashed, which only added to his anxiety.

"I never told L.A. this. It kind of was like a perfect storm. Mike Scioscia was talking to me and said, ‘we want to DH you,’ and I probably should have said yes, but that gave me the ability to be like, ‘nah, I want to get traded,’" Vaughn recalled. "It wasn’t anything wrong with the Anaheim Angels, it was just my anxiety. I wanted to get back to the East Coast and I wanted my family to stop flying at the time."

Vaughn got his wish when he was traded to the Mets in December of that year. The left-handed slugger played 166 more games before injuries forced him to retire after the 2003 season.

State of First Base Market

Up until the mid-2010s, first basemen continued to raise the bar set by Vaughn in free agency. Stars like Mark Teixeira, Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, Joey Votto, and Miguel Cabrera all landed contracts ranging from eight to 10 years, with the latter five surpassing the $200 million mark.

But recently, teams have been less eager to hand out long-term deals at the position.

During the 2017-2018 offseason, Eric Hosmer’s market appeared to be limited to just the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres. The former All-Star had earned his fourth Gold Glove Award, set a career-high OPS (.882), and played a key role in helping Kansas City reach back-to-back World Series appearances in 2014-15, winning one of them. Despite these accomplishments, he did not sign until Feb. 19 of that year.

Similarly, after Freddie Freeman led the Atlanta Braves to a World Series title in 2021, the longtime face of the franchise went unsigned until mid-March, partially because of MLB’s 99-day lockout. Freeman and his agent insisted on a sixth year, but the Braves were unwilling to offer more than five to the 32-year-old.

Freeman’s agent presented an ultimatum, offering two proposals and giving the Braves one hour to accept one. The Braves declined both and pulled their offer from the table.

The next day, the Braves acquired first baseman Matt Olson from the Oakland Athletics and signed him to an eight-year, $168 million extension, effectively ending Freeman’s time in Atlanta. Five days later, Freeman joined the Los Angeles Dodgers on a six-year, $162 million deal, with $57 million of the contract deferred.

Most recently, Pete Alonso did not find the market he had expected. Several teams entered the 2024-25 offseason with a need at first base but opted to address the position by either trading for players nearing free agency or signing older veterans to short-term deals. Alonso also had the qualifying offer attached, which meant a new team would have to send a compensatory draft pick to the Mets if they signed the "Polar Bear."

The four-time All-Star had previously turned down a seven-year, $158 million extension offer from the Mets' previous regime in the summer of 2023. After signing superstar outfielder Juan Soto to a historic 15-year, $765 million deal in December, the Mets were hesitant to make any other long-term commitments that could jeopardize future roster flexibility due to the “Cohen Tax.” 

New York repeatedly insisted they were comfortable moving forward with their internal depth options in 2025, even if it meant shifting natural third baseman Mark Vientos to the position. Still, chants of 'We Want Pete' rang out from fans during the Mets' Amazin' Day fan fest, and a reunion continued to make sense for both sides.

Team owner Steve Cohen acknowledged his dissatisfaction with the deal structures on the table, calling the negotiations “exhausting.” However, just before the start of spring training, a face-to-face meeting helped the two sides agree on a two-year, $54 million deal (which includes a player opt-out after 2025).