If the Mets sign two free agent sluggers, it’s going to be Juan Soto and Pete Alonso

The New York Mets wouldn’t dare pay Juan Soto and Pete Alonso. Or would they? The thought that it’s an either/or situation is misleading and based on nothing.

Can the Mets afford both? Yes. Could they fit each on the roster? Again, yes.

The Mets need two position player additions of some kind this offseason. Soto is a must with no satisfying alternatives. Alonso may seem like a fallback, but if we consider the qualifying offer penalties associated with many of the other top free agent bats, circling back to the Polar Bear has appeal.

Would the Mets really sign two players who rejected the qualifying offer?

Qualifying offer decisions are due by Tuesday and many of the best free agent fits for the Mets are going to turn theirs down. Soto got one from the New York Yankees. Alonso received one from the Mets. Each will turn it down and so will several other power hitting options out there.

Willy Adames and Alex Bregman are viewed as options for the Mets if their goal is to sign a third baseman and move Mark Vientos over to first base. Each carries a qualifying offer penalty with them. The same goes for outfield options Teoscar Hernandez and Anthony Santander as well as first baseman Christian Walker.

We can look beyond hitters and find several notable pitchers in the same category. Corbin Burnes and Max Fried (to a much lesser extent) could be Mets targets. Would they be worth the added penalty of signing a second qualifying offer player?

Because of where the Mets salary was last year, signing just one player who rejected the qualifying offer would cost them $1 million in international bonus slot money plus their second and fifth-highest draft picks. Sign a second, the Mets would forfeit their second, third, fifth, and sixth-highest draft picks.

For the Mets, the solution is easy. Sign Alonso. If they value next year’s draft in any way, he should be the one they pay. Lucky for them, others will look at Alonso the same way we look at players like Adames, Bregman, Hernandez, Santander, and Walker. They’ll need to weigh if Alonso is worth the penalty on top of whether he’ll be a better choice than someone else in this same pool.

Soto and another hitter feels like a must for the Mets this offseason. Alonso is the most practical choice for a variety of reasons. Familiarity, production, and protection of making next year’s draft matter are all at play.