Insider names 'most likely' free-agency landing spot for Pete Alonso

MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post sparked concerns among New York Mets fans who want the club to re-sign first baseman Pete Alonso when Heyman reported last week that "no quick deal appears at hand" because "there is said to be a sizable gap in talks at the moment" between the team and Alonso's camp.

It appears the situation may not be as dire as some first thought. 

Heyman insisted during Wednesday's edition of his Bleacher Report livestream that the Mets are still the "most likely" landing spot for Alonso after the club acquired All-Star outfielder Juan Soto earlier in free agency. 

As shared by Ryan Chichester of Audacy, former Mets player and current Cleveland Guardians Spanish-language radio analyst Carlos Baerga (who seems to have some inside information on the Amazins) reported on Dec. 26 that the Mets had offered Alonso a three-year, $90M deal with opt-outs after each year. While Alonso has also been linked with the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels, it seems his market isn't what he hoped considering numerous clubs acquired new first basemen ahead of Christmas.  

"Are the Mets willing to give five years for Pete Alonso? I do think the years are the hangup right now on the Pete Alonso situation," Heyman said on Wednesday, per Grant Young of Sports Illustrated. "They're going to figure out the money in terms of dollars per year, but it is the years that we are talking about."

Heyman previously mentioned that the Mets could move on from Alonso, target free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman and then move 2024 breakout star Mark Vientos from third base to first. However, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News noted on Wednesday that "there doesn’t appear to be much interest in that plan" and that "it still makes the most sense for Alonso to return to the team that drafted and developed him." 

Much has been made about whether or not Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns wants to lock a 30-year-old right-handed hitting and throwing first baseman who pressed at the plate during a walk year and is at least somewhat of a defensive liability down via a long-term contract. With that said, team owner Steve Cohen has understood for some time that the "Polar Bear" is a beloved fan-favorite who, per StatMuse, was second in all of MLB in regular-season home runs hit from 2019-24 (226). 

"People gravitate toward Alonso in the clubhouse," Mastracco added. "Teammates appreciate his amateur standup comedy acts on the team bus and his eclectic outfits as much as his timely home runs. Alonso even learned Spanish to be able to better communicate with Latin players in their native language." 

Mets fans expect the team to be all-in on winning more than a playoff series or two following the club's historic signing of Soto. In the end, one wonders if Cohen will step in to ensure that Alonso offers needed protection for Soto in the middle of the lineup for years to come.