How re-signing Jesse Winker impacts Mets' Pete Alonso plans

Pending a physical, Winker will return to New York on a one-year, $8M contract with a $1M signing bonus, per MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. 

The Mets acquired Winker in a deal with the Washington Nationals ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, and Winker fit right in with the "OMG" Mets. He was a key contributor in August when he hit a walk-off home run against the Baltimore Orioles and stepped his game up in the postseason with a .318 batting average across 10 games. 

However, Winker isn't quite a replacement for first baseman Pete Alonso, who even in a down year hit 34 home runs. But the Mets don't see Winker as his replacement; they can now start to allocate the funds they were planning to use on Alonso for multiple players to fill out the roster.

One of these players the Mets are considering to replace Alonso could be the Toronto Blue Jays' first baseman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The team checked on his status, and according to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Mets' perfect situation would be to trade for Guerrero Jr. and sign him before he hits the open market. But that's a long shot, considering Toronto would rather have Alonso and Guerrero Jr. hitting together in its lineup.

"I believe they're still going to bring in an impact guy," Martino said on SNY. "Whether that's Tanner Scott, who they've been talking to, or somebody else who's a high-leverage reliever. They could sign a veteran infielder to play around the diamond and supplement that youth movement and that versatility they already have in-house."

The current impasse stems from Alonso turning down a seven-year, $158M contract in 2023, according to ESPN. This isn't much compared to the enormous 15-year, $765M contract the Mets gave superstar outfielder Juan Soto, but the future outlook for each player is quite different. Soto is 26 years old with 36.4 wins above replacement, compared with the 30-year-old Alonso's 19.8 WAR metric.

Still, Alonso recorded 226 home runs after six seasons, putting him just behind Mets legends Darryl Strawberry and David Wright for the most home runs in franchise history. His three-run go-ahead home run in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the NL wild-card series will be remembered by Mets fans for the rest of their lives. But that hasn't been enough for the Mets to prioritize getting his contract done.

If the Mets felt Alonso was vital to their future, they would have gotten this contract done. They have the funds to do it. Instead, they're willing to pivot if Alonso won't meet their demands; to them, there are greater needs than paying the first baseman whatever he wants.