3 NY Mets free agents we should be most confident will be back in the New York Groove

The long list of New York Mets free agents hasn’t gotten much shorter. Thus far, only Luis Severino has signed a new deal. He was essentially replaced on the roster by Frankie Montas shortly before getting the richest deal in Oakland Athletics history. Seriously?

Early moves by the Mets have already written off the return of some free agents. Other spots remain vacant. While far from a sure thing to come back to Queens, we should be most confident in any of these three Mets returning in 2025.

1) Pete Alonso

It seems the market for Pete Alonso isn’t as robust as he would have hoped. Christian Walker has become the apple of most eyes. Although older and with less power, the thought of a more affordable free agent first baseman who can possibly add as much punch to the lineup in a different way could have teams steering clear of the Polar Bear. Only one team will end up with Walker, though. This should give Alonso some leverage in free agency.

However, there are other short term gambles teams could take on. Alonso isn’t the only intriguing first baseman available in free agency. He’s just the best, but that doesn’t mean much when teams don’t value the position as much. An aging outfielder no longer able to track down fly balls on a club’s roster might make more sense than committing a half-decade to Alonso plus a whole lot of money.

On top of those other negatives, Alonso carries with him the qualifying offer penalty. This won’t get in the way of everyone from signing him. However, it could have some ball clubs prioritizing others who rejected the QO in pursuit of a long term deal.

First base remains open for the Mets at the moment with the internal plan of moving Mark Vientos across the diamond having its own flaws. It would leave third base open for a competition. Not every defensive battle between players has an outright winner.

Re-signing Alonso always made the most sense even after securing Juan Soto. A return has yet to atrophy.