3 NY Mets-Red Sox free agent bidding wars we could see that don’t involve Juan Soto

Once Juan Soto does sign his deal, the team that nabs him is probably going to let a few of their backup plans go somewhere else. The latest Soto rumors seem to strongly suggest this could end up as a fist fight between the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox. Red Sox fans are stirring the pot with false reports of him coming to an agreement with the BoSox while Mets fans look for any photograph they can of Soto with orange and blue in there, too. Bonus points if it actually includes a Mets logo.

Two big market teams in the Northeast and foes from the 1986 World Series, this pair of clubs built up a good working relationship last year with multiple player for cash trades. This shouldn’t negate some friendly competition between David Stearns and fellow Ivy Leaguer Craig Breslow. Each should be bidding high on these other free agents not named Soto this offseason.

1) Corbin Burnes

No pitcher deserves a bigger contract than Corbin Burnes this offseason. Five straight seasons of finishing in the top 8 of the Cy Young race including a victory in 2021, he has been everything and more you’d want in an ace. Even with some of the numbers down last year, he still managed to win a career-high 15 games all while doing it with a 2.92 ERA—the second lowest in a season since he became a full-time starter in 2021.

Burnes is the big prize to add to a rotation this winter. Long speculated to be a target of Stearns because of their familiarity from their time with the Milwaukee Brewers, we shouldn’t sleep on the Red Sox nabbing him instead.

When you take a big swing and miss on a player such as Soto, you need to come away with the second best option. That’s who Burnes is. Both ball clubs could use him at the top of a potentially strong rotation that lacks a true ace starting on Opening Day.

2) Sean Manaea

Let’s say the Mets do get Soto. What does it mean for the pitching staff? Sean Manaea is someone the Mets could afford to bring back as a Burnes alternative. Much less accomplished but coming off of a very good year, there are no qualifying offer penalties associated with him if the Mets were to bring him back. Boston, on the other hand, would be punished with loss of draft picks, etc. for signing him. Manaea had a good year but looking at him independently outside of a Mets perspective, he might not be quite worth the penalties that come with signing him depending on what your team’s punishment is.

Manaea should get paid somewhere in the same ballpark as Yusei Kikuchi whose three-year deal worth $63 million helped set the market for pitchers in their tier. Significantly less than what Blake Snell got from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Manaea much more closely matches up with a pitcher of Kikuchi’s ilk.

The Red Sox have already reportedly had an interest in adding a left-handed starting pitcher to their roster; something they didn’t have last season. Manaea is one of the better options remaining and won’t cost nearly as much as fellow southpaw Max Fried.

3) Pete Alonso

The Red Sox already have Triston Casas for first base but he doesn’t have the same kind of punch someone like Pete Alonso could bring to the lineup. The Red Sox could especially use a right-handed hitter with power. Outfielder Tyler O’Neill clobbered 31 home runs last year but is now a free agent. They’re left with a left-handed heavy lineup, one which Alonso would seemingly fit in with well.

Boston hasn’t had an excellent stint trying to build a winner. Never quite good enough on paper or in the actual standings, their 81-81 record last year perfectly represents what they have been. Back-to-back 78-win seasons prior, this is a ball club that has only made it to the playoffs once since winning the 2018 World Series. If you weren’t paying close attention, you might not have even realized how much losing they’ve done.

A part of the reason for their failures has been their lack of commitment to star players. Notably, they traded Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Alonso is no Betts, however, he seems to match more in the purview of what they are trying to accomplish: build a better roster without ever getting the best free agent possible.

This is why when Mets fans see the Red Sox as serious suitors for Soto, we wonder how true this really is. Alonso would be a solid consolation prize for any team who doesn’t sign Soto. No one is capable of hitting for more power. Is a bidding war on the way? If so, a safe prediction would be the Red Sox bowing out and letting Alonso slip away.