"Pete Alonso is 31, not 26-year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr." - Mariners pundit against Kris Bryant's $182,000,000 7-year deal for 4x All-Star free agent

The market for free agent first baseman Pete Alonso has cooled significantly, with many teams once rumored to be interested in his services, including the New York Mets, choosing other options such as Paul Goldschmidt and Christian Walker. This has dried up the four-time All-Star's leverage, which could force him to settle for a short term deal.

A surprising new contender in the race for Alonso's services is the Seattle Mariners, according to Jon Heyman. While acquiring Alonso isn't a bad move, it may not be financially viable for the Mariners, who are known for their conservative spending. Analyst Colby Patnode cautioned against making a deal similar to Kris Bryant's $182,000,000, seven-year contract with the Colorado Rockies, hoping the club doesn't fall into the same trap.

"I think the only way you get Alonso is if you basically give him what he thought the Mets were going to offer him at this stage," Patnode said on "Locked on Mariners" podcast. "If you give him the seven-year deal—the Chris Bryant deal—seven years, $180-some million, essentially doubling what the Mets' current offer is, then maybe you have a shot. [27:05 onwards]

"But are the Mariners going to do that? No. Should they do that? No, not really. They probably shouldn’t—it’s not a great idea. Would you still be excited if they did that? Sure, because it’s fun. But in the long run, that’s not really a good idea. Pete Alonso’s not that type of guy, and again, he’s 31 years old. He’s not 26-year-old Vlad."

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Colby Patnode takes indirect dig at Jon Heyman for alleging interest between Mariners and Pete Alonso

Colby Patnode isn't buying Jon Heyman report about Seattle Mariners' interest in Pete Alonso. This may have to do with the fact that Alonso's agent is Scott Boras, who has often been accused of using journalists to further his cause.

Patnode believes something similar may be unfolding here, taking an indirect dig at the veteran journalist for potentially creating leverage for Boras and his client.

"My guess is that he’ll continue to be linked to the Mariners, specifically by Heyman, until he ultimately re-signs with the Mets," Patnode added (33:52 onwards). "But I don’t think this is anything more than a way to create leverage for Pete ... Seattle’s name being floated could be to apply a little pressure on Seattle from their fan base or to get them to enter the bidding, at which point they can be used against the Mets. It’s all a PR game.

"We know who’s feeding Heyman this information. We know why Heyman is using it the way he is. It’s not happening. I don’t want to tell you guys not to get your hopes up, but don’t—it’s not happening."

While Pete Alonso is undeniably a top talent, the analyst doesn’t see the Mariners making a serious push for the All-Star first baseman