Yankees sportscaster places $25,000,000/year valuation on ex-Mets free agent

Discussing former New York Mets star Pete Alonso's free agency this winter, Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay shared his thoughts on the matter.

The 30-year-old slugger has spent his whole career as a Met and is a central, home-grown figure for the franchise. However, with Alonso's return to New York looking increasingly unlikely, Kay shared his valuation of the star on The Michael Kay Show [17:30 - 21:30]:

"Alonso has the right to aim for the sky, but when it's not there you look dumb... So I'm not blaming Alonso. What I am blaming is the fans that say the Mets should step up and give more because he's a home-grown Met. Nonsense! You look at the valuation within your organization of the player and they don't think he's more than $22 or $23 million a year. Live with it. I would probably value him at $25 million a year, but if they think it's 22 to 23, it's 22 to 23!

"I think Alonso probably wants $30 million a year. The Mets say no, that's too much of a hill to climb. They want 90 for 3 and the Mets are at 70 for 3, and they don't want to go up the extra 20. I get it, and I get what Alonso wants. But what you want and what's realistic are two different things."

With most of the big names in free agency already scooped up by teams across the MLB, Pete Alonso remains the biggest name remaining. While the market for a reliable slugging infielder heated up at one point, it has since colled off significantly, leaving Alonso's future in doubt.

As things stand, Alonso seems to have overplayed his hands. There's no doubt of his ability and durability, but his age plays a huge factor in contract negotiations. His final option could be to settle for a lower value with an opt-out so that he can re-negotiate if he has a good season this year.

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Mets infield coach confident that Mark Vientos can take over first base in Pete Alonso's absence

Pete Alonso reportedly refused the New York Mets' latest offer of a three-year contract valued somewhere around $68 - $70 million.

Since then, New York has refused to budge on its position, leading to speculations about Mark Vientos taking over at first base. In an interview with The Post, Mets infield coach Mike Sarbaugh said:

“I haven’t seen him a lot at first base, but Mark puts a lot of work in, so I think wherever he is and wherever he ends up, I think he will be just fine."

Despite having Vientos to replace Alonso in the infield, there's no denying the value the slugger brings to the lineup. Hence, with Spring Training almost upon us, there 's still a chance that Alonso will remain with New York for the upcoming MLB season.