"More athletic player is more in demand than the slugger" - MLB insider on first baseman market amid Pete Alonso's uncertain free agency

Pete Alonso raised some eyebrows when he turned down the deal offered by the New York Mets. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that the Mets offered Alonso a $68 million-$70 million deal over three years, but Alonso reportedly wanted more.

Moreover, the market for the first basemen hasn't been too active for the past few years. MLB insider Jon Heyman believes the league is interested in more athletic players than sluggers, and said as much when he spoke to Bleacher Report on Wednesday:

"I think once he signaled that he was willing to do that three-year deal, I guess he thought that the Mets would pony up a little bit more money, get it closer to what he perceives as the market for him," Heyman said.

"And again, he is the top home run hitter in the National League since he came in the league in 2019. And it used to be analytics loved the home run, right? They loved the three-run homer, loved guys who were sluggers, and they got big deals.

"And that has changed to a degree. I'm not sure what algorithm has changed. Somebody's thinking may have changed, but it seems like the more athletic player now is more in demand than the slugger is not the same."

Still, Heyman believes that Pete Alonso will be a great asset for whichever team lands him:

"A lot of great deals for first baseman. That hasn't been the case in the last several years. And so I don't know if that should have been a warning shot. I'm not sure. But Pete Alonso is a terrific home run hitter, one of the most consistent home run hitters in baseball over the past several years, judged in a category by himself."

Mets manager shares his views on Pete Alonso's situation

Pete Alonso has received offers from teams like the Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays. The Angels reportedly offered the first baseman a $100 million contract, while the Blue Jays have made it clear that they're interested in securing him too.

Most Mets fans want to see Alonso stay, and franchise manager Carlos Mendoza discussed the matter last weekend with WFAN:

"He’s got all the right to maximize what he’s earned, you know. So, we want him back—not a secret, you know. I’m still hopeful, you know. He’s there. He’s a great player, a great guy, a great clubhouse guy. He’s positive, you know. So, he earned this opportunity. He’s out there, and we’ll see what happens.

"We’ve got options, you know. The thing is, we didn’t want to wait until spring training and then, 'Oh, now you need to get reps here.' So, we wanted to get ahead. We had those conversations with Vientos, we had those conversations with Brett Baty. We also got Jared Young, we got Joey Meneses ...

"So, we’ve got depth there, we’ve got some options, and then we’ll see how it plays out—not only from now until we get to spring training but once we get to Houston."

With the new season creeping slowly closer, it will be interesting to see if the Mets can agree to a new deal with Alonso, and if not, where he will end up.