"Teams not going to invest long-term in 1B unless you're Vladimir Guerrero Jr." - Vinnie Pasquantino gets real on Pete Alonso's free agency market 

With the MLB offseason entering its final stretch, the intrigue around first baseman Pete Alonso's free agency remains. The New York Mets did make a "last ditch effort" to re-sign him, but the number was reportedly nowhere near what the first baseman wanted, bringing potentially an end to any reunion fans in Queens were hoping.

Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino appeared on "The Chris Rose Rotation" podcast on Tuesday to discuss several aspects of Alonso's free agency.

Pasquantino argued that the reliance on advanced metrics, particularly WAR (Wins Above Replacement), has negatively impacted the perceived value of first basemen.

"If you play first base, you essentially have to put up an .850 OPS to get paid nowadays, which is fine — you need to perform," Pasquantino said. "Teams use WAR, and if you play first, it is very difficult to get that WAR number up because it gets so dragged down simply by the position you play.

"Teams just throw the biggest guy they have at first, and now players are seeing the consequences because teams are not going to invest long-term in first basemen — unless you are Vladimir Guerrero Jr," he added.

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Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will become a free agent after the 2025 season if he is not extended by the Blue Jays this offseason.

It's beyond Vinnie Pasquantino why Mets are not re-signing Pete Alonso

When the offseason started, many believed it was a foregone conclusion that the Mets and Pete Alonso would re-sign. However, the contract negotiation talks seem to have not gone well smoothly, and in what appears with the Mets using surplus cash to sign a bullpen pitcher, it doesn't take a genius to guess that the club might have moved on from the prospect of signing Alonso back.

Noting how the situation in New York has unfolded, Vinnie Pasquantino expressed his surprise at why the Mets are not inclined to bring Alonso back.

"Pete Alonso has been the face of the Mets for the past six years, and that should mean something," Pasquantiono said. "I get that they just spent however much money they did on Soto. I understand that wasn’t a front-office thing; that was an ownership decision. But I think Pete should be paid.

"He’s handled New York, which I’ve heard isn’t the easiest thing to do. Pete has done nothing but perform for that team. From the outside looking in, it doesn’t seem like they value the things he brings to the table beyond the numbers — and that’s where teams are nowadays. I personally think that hurts teams," he added.

If not the Mets, Pete Alonso could be brought in by either the Seattle Mariners or Toronto Blue Jays (in case they trade away Vladimir Guerrero Jr.). In a prediction from MLB analyst Yonder Alonso on Monday, the Cincinnati Reds could also be an option.