NY Mets free agency update: Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman are facing the same hurdle

There’s a familiar theme with many Scott Boras clients. It’s asking for too much. Many of his top clients last offseason settled for short-term deals with player options. Several were able to cash in. Blake Snell and Matt Chapman would get longer deals, the latter signed to an extension by the San Francisco Giants.  Juan Soto had no difficulty getting his massive contract from the New York Mets. He’s the exception to almost every rule.

Unfortunately for another Mets free agent target, Pete Alonso is facing a challenge of teams lining up to give him a long-term deal.

It’s no surprise as many slugging first basemen have fallen off greatly and failed to live up to their contracts in their 30s. He’s not alone, though. Alex Bregman is having the same trouble as well, specifically with the Houston Astros who won’t go above six years.

Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman have more in common than Scott Boras

How long is too long? Hold your laugh, Michael Scott. We’re talking about baseball contracts!

Alonso just turned 30 and a good number of years to limit any deal with him would probably be about five. The same with Bregman. He’s a few months older than Alonso. Free agents with different offerings to bring the Mets or anyone else, Bregman’s rumored desire for more than six years might end any thought of the Mets pursuing. One would have to imagine Alonso is seeking something similar. Again, is this something the Mets would actually do?

David Stearns has operated on a more year-to-year basis with the Soto contract being the exception. One can imagine he’d be open to the idea of multiple years for Alonso or Bregman as he’d need to in order to successfully sign either player. Both are coming off of less productive seasons than what they’ve done in the past. Something similar to what Cody Bellinger got from the Chicago Cubs is probably close to what either will get with maybe an extra year or two. Bellinger signed for three years and $80 million with player option in year two and three.

The high AAV approach with certain players seems far more popular than spreading out the wealth over a longer period of time. There are exceptions. Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, and a little more distant in the past, Bryce Harper, are examples of players getting huge contracts but with the years helping to lower the AAV.

Teams seem to prefer dishing out cash in a player’s prime years rather than carrying the dead weight of a player’s leaner years in their late 30s or older. A matter of preference, it seems to be a universal theme to explain why Alonso and Bregman remain unsigned.