6 key takeaways from Alonso¡¯s return to the Mets
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What many in baseball long suspected at last came to fruition on Wednesday night: Pete Alonso is returning to the Mets. The beloved slugger reached free agency for the first time in his career, and while he certainly peddled his wares around the league, in many ways, a reunion felt inevitable.
Then again: The two-year, $54 million contract he agreed to, with a potential opt-out after one season according to sources, might not have been exactly what Alonso had in mind when he hit the market.
It's a big deal, though, and answers one of the last lingering questions of this offseason. Here¡¯s a look at six immediate takeaways in the wake of this news.
The Mets got what they wanted
Alonso and agent Scott Boras obviously had been hoping for a four- or five-year deal, and after Alonso hit that clutch home run to beat the Brewers in the NL Wild Card Series, you wondered if that would be what he¡¯d get. (Particularly when all those Alonso-to-the-Jays rumors were bubbling up a couple of weeks ago.)
But the Mets were obviously aware of the history of giving massive, long-term deals to burly, home run-hitting first basemen. Those often don¡¯t age well -- the Orioles¡¯ experience with Chris Davis being a prime example -- and it was clear New York always wanted to limit the number of years on this contract. That¡¯s exactly what happened.
The worry was never about the next season or two, with Alonso at ages 30-31. It was about what Alonso will be as he approaches and enters his mid-30s. For now, the Mets don¡¯t have to worry about that.
Both sides just kicked the can down the road
One of the many nice things about Spring Training is that it gives everybody a deadline: Both sides have a lot of incentive to come up with a deal by the time everybody shows up in Florida and Arizona. It sure looks like that happened here.
The Mets didn¡¯t want to give Alonso a long deal; Alonso wanted to maximize his money, both short and long term. When there wasn¡¯t a logical meeting point between those two sides, they both punted. The Mets didn¡¯t give in to a five-year deal, and Alonso got a lot of money in 2025 and the ability to opt out and try all this again before the 2026 season.
If you were exhausted by how long this process took, I have some bad news: There¡¯s a real chance we¡¯re all going to do it again next year.
The Mets don¡¯t have to rush their young players
The Mets always could have moved Mark Vientos to first base -- probably his more natural position -- and tossed third base to Brett Baty or Luisangel Acu?a to see if they could establish themselves as a big league regular. But why put yourself in that position if you don¡¯t have to, especially when you are facing a tough division race?
Keeping Alonso for a year, or two (depending on that opt-out), allows the Mets the freedom to let those players take their time developing, for them not to be under immediate pressure to perform for a team that¡¯s going to try to win a World Series next year, and every year thereafter.
Can Baty or Acu?a (or Ronny Mauricio, or any of the other Mets prospects) take over third base -- or first base -- at some point? Perhaps. But there¡¯s too much on the line in 2025 to count on it. Bringing back Alonso means they don¡¯t have to.
Alonso¡¯s status as an all-time Met is secure
Alonso might just play one more year with the Mets, but even that should be enough to nail down a fundamental fact: He¡¯s a Mets legend. Sitting at 226 career homers, if he¡¯s able to hit 27 this year -- and can you imagine Alonso not hitting 27 homers? -- he¡¯ll pass David Wright (242) and then Darryl Strawberry (252) to become the Mets¡¯ all-time leader.
If Alonso can add just 70 more RBIs, to get to 656, he also would jump Ed Kranepool, Howard Johnson and Mike Piazza for third on the Mets¡¯ list, behind only Strawberry (733) and Wright (970).
It¡¯s a special thing to be a franchise¡¯s all-time leader in home runs. That Alonso has done it with such joy in his heart for these Mets and their fans is a special thing.
The NL East race is going to be wild
So the Phillies were fantastic last year and have a cavalcade of veterans who have made it their life¡¯s mission to get a World Series title before time comes for them. The Braves made the playoffs despite a historic plague of injuries, and now that most of their stars should be back to full strength not long after the start of the regular season, they may once again resemble the dominant team they were before.
And of course, the Mets signed one of the best players in baseball and have kept in place all the key pieces around him. Is it possible that three of the top five or six teams in MLB will all play in the NL East in 2025? It sure seems like it. This race is going to be riveting from start to finish. We can¡¯t wait.
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The Blue Jays need to figure out this Vlad Jr. business, and soon
It never made a ton of sense for the Jays to sign Alonso, as was so widely rumored a fortnight ago. They still would have had Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on their roster in 2025, which would have been an odd fit for one year. Had they given Alonso the long contract it likely would have taken to bring him north of the border, it also seemingly would have eliminated Vlad Jr. from their consideration for an extension.
Now there is no such obstacle for Toronto. This team has been busy this offseason, but it doesn¡¯t look like the Jays are going as all-in on 2025 as it once seemed. But that just makes locking in Vlad Jr. more important than ever. There aren¡¯t going to be many options to replace him. And, if anything, Alonso¡¯s somewhat-underwhelming contract may provide them a potential opening.