NY Mets rumors: Pete Alonso’s market is ice cold, his big contract mistake years ago

Teams aren’t exactly lining up to sign Pete Alonso. Even with the lack of qualifying offer penalty following him around this offseason, the Polar Bear’s market seems limited to returning to the New York Mets or fleeing for the Boston Red Sox. The latest has an AL executive telling Joel Sherman the thought is Alonso won’t come close to a 5-year deal and even 4 years would come at a lower AAV with deferrals involved.

Alonso is embarking on his second straight rough trip into free agency. The market for a power hitting first baseman trending toward DH duties just doesn’t have the same appeal as others out there.

Back in June of 2023, Alonso was reportedly offered a 7-year contract extension worth $158 million. The sides “never got close” and we can put the blame solely on Alonso’s representation for what has become an annual agonizing jump into the freezing cold free agent waters.

Pete Alonso’s free agent strategy of going for immediate money won’t work out in the end

It hasn’t been a complete disaster just yet with Alonso earning $30 million from the Mets last year. Compared to the $22.5+ million the reported extension would have paid per year, betting on himself kind of worked in the immediacy.

The Mets felt comfortable paying Alonso his $30 million last year knowing they’d get him in his prime for the 2025 season. No one is expecting him to be the middle of the order threat he has been in another five seasons. Could make $22.5 million as a free agent? He’s going to have to continually prove himself again and again. There’s going to come a point where he gets the J.D. Martinez treatment. Martinez had a monster season in 2023 with the Los Angeles Dodgers only to settle on a one-year deal with the Mets signed in March.

More is at stake for Alonso than losing money. His legacy diminishes if he leaves the Mets and comes away looking like the one asking for something unreasonable. Certain free agents leave because the team didn’t show the right amount of enthusiasm. Having already apparently turned down a monster extension in the past, we’re inching closer toward wondering how much of this is Scott Boras insisting to his client that there’s a large pot of gold at the end of some rainbow.