New York Mets discussed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in offseason

"Yes, the Mets talked about Guerrero last offseason when Alonso seemed to be on the way out, but that was for one year and then let's see," SNY insider Andy Martino wrote on X. "Once it became clear he was looking at ~$500MM from Toronto, it also became clear that the price would never fit Mets' valuation at 1B."

At a certain point in January, the Alonso free agency saga seemed like the Polar Bear was headed for another team. However, Mets owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns were able to get a deal done to retain Alonso on a two-year, $54 million deal with an opt-out after this season.

Alonso is off to a red-hot start at the plate in 2025 with three home runs, 11 RBI and a 1.066 OPS in the first nine games of the season. The 30-year-old will surely opt-out of his contract with the Mets to become a free agent again next winter. Alonso will not have the qualifying offer attached to him in the offseason which will enhance his market this time around.

After inking superstar outfielder Juan Soto to the richest contract in sports history at 15-years, $765 million, a long-term deal for Guerrero seemed unrealistic given the lack of financial flexibility it would create for the Mets' ability to spend in the long run.

The Mets reportedly considered a trade for Guerrero, but as Martino reported it was only with the thought of having the star slugger play out the final year of his deal. A blockbuster trade would have cost the Mets a ton in terms of prospects and then it would have been difficult to retain Guerrero.

Guerrero is now off the market for the foreseeable future and Alonso should be back on it once again. The Mets will likely try to lock up Alonso to a long-term deal once he heads back to free agency in the 2025-2026 offseason.