"Reluctant to eclipse Freddie Freeman’s $162M contract" - MLB insider speculates possible scenarios for Pete Alonso ft. Red Sox interest

Pete Alonso remains one of the top free agents still left on the open market. He is coming off a season where he started all 162 regular season games, hitting .240/.329/.459 with 34 home runs and 88 runs batted in.

He was vital to the New York Mets' success this past season, making it to the NLCS. However, they ran out of steam when stacked up against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

For Alonso, he is searching for a long-term deal for at least $200 million. USA Today's Bob Nightengale does not see that happening, revealing teams have been hesitant to offer that kind of contract.

"Teams are reluctant to to eclipse Freddie Freeman's six-year, $162 million contract and Matt Olson's eight-year, $168 million deal while Alonso's agent, Scott Boras, uses Prince Fielder's nine-year, $214 million contract with Detroit Tigers in 2012 as a comparison," said Nightengale.

According to Nightengale, teams have been reluctant to make an offer above one of Freddie Freeman or Matt Olson's current deals. However, Alonso's agent, Scott Boras, is using Prince Fielder's nine-year, $214 million contract as a comparison.

Teams just have not been dishing out long-term deals this winter. Outside of Juan Soto's massive 15-year deal with the New York Mets, only four players have signed deals for five or more years.

Bob Nightengale speculates on where Pete Alonso may sign

New York Mets - Pete Alonso (Photo via IMAGN)

The interest in Pete Alonso is certainly there. According to Nightengale, eight teams have shown some interest in four-time All-Star, including the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox. Despite that, he believes Alonso will have to return to the Mets on a much shorter deal than he was hoping for.

"In the game of first base musical chairs where 11 teams have a new first baseman, Alonso is still left standing. He may have no choice but to return to the Mets on a short-term deal with an opt-out" said Nightengale.

If that were the case, that would be pretty good news for the Mets fanbase. Alonso, Soto, and Francisco Lindor would certainly look great at the top of that lineup.

We still have a few months before the snow melts and players head for camp, so Alonso still has time to secure that long-term contract. However, it is looking more and more like he will be returning to the Big Apple.