All signs point toward the New York Mets moving on from Pete Alonso. There seems to be a stalemate between both parties, and the Mets are seemingly trying to allocate the same funds elsewhere to land other players. They are reportedly looking to bringing back Jesse Winker on a one-year $8 million deal.
As per Mets insider Andy Martino, Mets owner Steve Cohen doesn't have a lot to do in this situation. In the past and even as recently as Juan Soto's mammoth 15-year $765 million deal, Cohen splurged cash aplenty to get the players he wants on the team.
However, as per Martino, in Pete Alonso's case, David Stearns, president of baseball operation, is calling the shots, and the Mets aren't quite willing to raise the stakes for the four-time All Star.
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"Another important thing here is that this is David Stearns' hshow and Steve Cohen has empowered David Stearns. He doesn't want to be a meddling owner. So he's like, 'You're running baseball ops. You guys tell me what the price point should be here and I'll respect that,' and that's the way this has gone. So this idea that Cohen was just going to maybe come in at some point and call Scott Boras himself and say, 'Forget it, just give him whatever we love Pete.'
"That's not the way Cohen wants to have this business run. I mean, he was active in the Soto deal, so was Hal Steinbrenner, because that's going to be an ownership-level contract. But the Alonso thing, this is baseball ops. I think we're all saying versions of the same thing on this front—a baseball ops calculation- clearly, not just the Mets, but plenty of other teams, Alonso has a lot of worth, but here's the worth, and no one's willing to exceed that right now," Martino said. [3:15]
What Jesse Winker's deal with the New York Mets signify for Pete Alonso?
Pete Alonso and his agent Scott Boras refused a seven-year $158 million deal extension last season. Alonso was also offered a three-year $90 million contract this offseason, which he refused, and after weeks of negotiations, it seems like the Mets are finally moving on.
The Mets signing Jesse Winker to an extension doesn't mean he's a like-for-like replacement for Alonso at first base.
The club is trying to use the $30 million annual average value they kept for Pete Alonso in bringing in multiple players. As per Martino, they could also look to add a reliever like Tanner Scott or trade for someone like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from the Blue Jays.
