2 Mets players who’ve already earned the qualifying offer, 1 toeing the line

News about the MLB qualifying offer was recently revealed with a projected $21.2 million for the 2025 season. A strategic offer teams can use to keep a guy around for a year or at least gain a draft pick if the player turns it down, the high cost will limit which members of the New York Mets are worth one and who isn’t.

In the past, we’ve seen Neil Walker accept heading into the 2017 season and Marcus Stroman do the same for 2021. More often than not players will reject the qualifying offer. Some notable Mets who turned down theirs and ended up elsewhere include Jacob deGrom, Michael Conforto, and Noah Syndergaard.

Teams will be deterred from signing a player with the qualifying offer attachment mainly because of the penalties. They vary depending on numerous situations. One that has had the Mets driving away from those who reject the QO is the loss of multiple draft picks because of the high player salary. Before they’ll have the internal debate about whether a pursuit of a QO-rejecter is worth it, they’ll have to come to a decision about which of their own players should get one. Two players seem like a sure thing. A third is toeing the line.

Mets free agent Pete Alonso has had a qualifying offer on the table all year

The one man who entered this season with a qualifying offer essentially already on the table is Pete Alonso. The biggest Mets free agent on the roster will undoubtedly reject it, or will he? In what has been somewhat of a down year, especially with runners in scoring position, Alonso hasn’t done himself many favors when it comes to getting the sort of contract many believe he is seeking.

An estimated total of $150-200 million might not be something too many teams are willing to hand over to Alonso. Would taking the qualifying offer from the Mets and rebuilding his stock in 2025 help? It’s precisely the reason why he is such a perfect QO candidate. He should get paid close to the annual value the QO will provide. The negative is it’s for only one season.

Chances favor Alonso stomping on the qualifying offer the moment he gets it. It’ll be a good weapon for the Mets to use to limit his suitors somewhat. They’ll have the immediate advantage in retaining him simply because other ball clubs will be turned off by the idea of losing draft picks and anything else by signing him.