"Aaron Judge has hit 232, Pete Alonso has hit 226" - Sportscaster weighs pros and cons of 4x All-Star free agent slugger

Pete Alonso remains one of the major names left in the free agency market. The former Mets infielder is yet to receive a contract offer of his choice. Reportedly, teams are offering lower-grade contracts to the first baseman, who is reportedly looking for a bigger contract.

On JM Baseball's "Baseball Today" podcast on Friday, Chris Rose highlighted that Alonso's home run slugging numbers are second to only Yankees captain Aaron Judge since Alonso's debut in 2019. Rose also pointed out that Alonso has avoided any major injuries in his career. While his defensive abilities and baserunning remain a concern, his leadership abilities will add to his value.

"It's interesting, there's only one guy who's hit more homers than Alonso since he came to the league in 2019, and that's Aaron Judge. Judge has hit 232, Alonso's hit 226. Alonso does not miss games —he's missed 24 games over six seasons. Is he going to give you anything defensively at first?

"I don't know. Is he going to give you anything in terms of running the bases? Definitely not. But he does know how to handle the big city—that's a big deal to me. I think he'll walk in, he'll be a good guy in your clubhouse, he's a guy, a thumper you can put in the middle of your lineup and, for some reason, nobody wants him," Rose said. [4:55]

Those numbers are correct. Judge leads MLB in homers since 2019 with 232 in 699 games, while Alonso is second with 225 home runs in 846 games.

Mets insider names exact number that could seal the deal with Pete Alonso

As per Mets insider Andy Martino, Pete Alonso could settle with the Mets for a five-year contract worth $138 million. In hindsight, it will be the same value as the six-year, $158 million contract he turned down with the team in the previous offseason. Martino stated that it is unlikely that the 4x All-Star will get it more because the market has contracted for him.

“I think $138 million is a number that could mean something to Alonso because as we know, he turned down $158 million for the Mets about a year and a half ago and made about $20 million last year. That’s a contract that I don’t know that he’s going to reach in this industry right now.”

Martino was also confident that a shorter-term contract with a higher annual average value and opt-out options could help both parties. The Mets remain the favorites in the Pete Alonso sweepstakes but the San Francisco Giants and the Toronto Blue Jays have recently shown interest.