Mets bring back Winker; Alonso reunion now unlikely?
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Jan. 17: Have the Mets closed the door on a potential Alonso reunion?
Even after landing Juan Soto earlier this offseason, the Mets have kept the door open for a potential reunion with free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso. However, with the two sides still far apart in their negotiations, the club now considers it the most likely outcome that Alonso will sign elsewhere, reports SNY¡¯s Andy Martino.
The Mets made another move to bolster their offense on Thursday, reaching a one-year deal with outfielder Jesse Winker. Per Martino, the Winker deal was part of the Mets¡¯ post-Alonso pivot plan, which was also expected to include signing a reliever. One day after that report, the Mets agreed to a two-year deal with lefty reliever A.J. Minter, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.
According to a report by Joel Sherman in the New York Post, the Mets made "what they perceived as a last-ditch effort" to re-sign Alonso by offering a three-year deal in the neighborhood of $70 million, slightly more than what another slugging first baseman -- Christian Walker -- received when signing a three-year, $60 million contract with the Astros earlier this offseason.
While there aren¡¯t many obvious fits left for Alonso outside of Queens, The Athletic's (subscription required) Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon report that at least two other clubs are engaged in discussions with the slugger. The Blue Jays are one of those teams. The other is a mystery, though Alonso was recently linked to the Giants and Angels.
The Toronto connection is interesting, considering the Blue Jays already have first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., a pending free agent, on their roster. With the two sides reportedly far apart in their contract extension negotiations, Guerrero has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate. However, according to Rosenthal, the club¡¯s intention is not to sign Alonso and then trade Guerrero. Rather, the Jays are hoping to add Alonso to the fold to improve their playoff chances in Guerrero¡¯s final year under club control.
Jan. 7: If Mets don¡¯t land Alonso, will they sign Bregman?
The Mets have already spent more than $900 million in free agency this offseason, signing superstar outfielder Juan Soto and pitchers Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas. But New York still has a void in its infield and could consider a big move to fill that hole.
Re-signing Pete Alonso remains the most likely outcome for the Mets, but if they aren¡¯t able to close the gap in negotiations with their longtime first baseman, they could pivot to another star free agent -- third baseman Alex Bregman, a Scott Boras client like Alonso.
USA Today¡¯s Bob Nightengale has talked to several executives who said they think the Mets will look to add Bregman if they don¡¯t sign Alonso, with Mark Vientos shifting across the diamond to take over as the team¡¯s new starting first baseman in that case.
However, SNY's Andy Martino doesn't think Bregman to the Mets is all that likely. In Martino's view, if the Mets don't re-sign Alonso, "the most probable scenario" would involve the team going with its internal options -- Vientos, Brett Baty, Luisangel Acu?a, Ronny Mauricio and others -- to cover the infield corners.