MLB insider gives reality check for Pete Alonso, citing Freddie Freeman’s $162,000,000, Paul Goldschmidt’s $130,000,000 deals

With negotiations still too far off, the New York Mets have started to make moves assuming Pete Alonso might not return. That comes after the free agent first baseman rejected a three-year deal worth around $68-70 million on Thursday, according to New York Post's Joel Sherman.

The proposal was a counteroffer on an initial high AAV deal that Alonso's camp had offered. With the deal not happening at the moment, the Mets are bringing back outfielder Jesse Winker on a one-year, $7.5 million deal.

To address the latest rumble on the market, MLB Insider Jon Heyman joined the New York Post's YouTube show to provide Alonso's camp a reality check. He mentioned a declining market for first baseman, citing previous contracts of notable players like Freddie Freeman and Paul Goldschmidt.

"That first base market isn't what it used to be," Heyman said (2:50 onwards).

"I mean, the days when Prince Fielder got $214 million for nine years—those seem to be long gone. I guess we got a hint of that recently with more recent signings. The Hall of Fame-bound World Series hero Freddie Freeman only got a $162 million deal, a lot of it deferred, worth about $140-something million.

"And Paul Goldschmidt, in his heyday, got $130 million. So the first base market, I want to say tanked—that might be a little strong—but it certainly has gone down."

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Jon Heyman isn't buying Mets completely moving on from Pete Alonso yet despite Jesse Winker signing

Jon Heyman also addressed whether the re-signing of Jesse Winker means the Mets are moving on from Pete Alonso.

While the insider didn't completely disagree, he said that Winker is an outfielder and that it doesn't mean they might not return to the negotiation table for Alonso.

"So I'm not sure how related they are," Heyman added. "They are coming simultaneously, and they have brought in Winker.

"Maybe they feel a little bit better about the offense by doing that, and maybe they are somewhat related, but it certainly should not preclude bringing back Pete Alonso because this is just about an $8 million signing with Winker. That really shouldn't be related to Pete Alonso."

Nonetheless, Heyman believes that the Mets' Plan B (if not Pete Alonso) could involve the team getting into the bullpen market. Tanner Scott is one of the best relievers on the market, and the Mets could utilize the fund cleared for Alonso to bring in one of the best leverage arms in baseball.

As for Alonso, he sould still have good interest on the market, with Heyman citing teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners and the San Francisco Giants, who could use his offense.