The Pete Alonso Conundrum

[The Hot Corner]

Nice to have soupcan make an appearance. I endorse his plan and hope the Mets do as well. Slotting Pete in the 4 slot behind Soto would really make the Mets lineup pretty scary.

[Frayed Knot]

And needless to add (to the 5-year offer with a player opt-out after 2), heavily frontload the deal, so you're overpaying for those first two years, making them more attractive to Pete while offering the remainder (10 Mil per year?) as a motivation for him to walk if Year Two shows some serious decline. If some team wants to gamble that the declining Year Two was an aberration, then let them, and call 2025 and 2026 a necessary expense.

I'm not worried about him declining in years one or two of the deal when he'll be only 30 & 31; it's more a potential year six thru eight that's the issue.
I can live with five no matter how it's structured as getting through at least year four with Pete at or near his current self is a gamble I'd be willing to
take. You can always eat a year or two of a contract without compromising elsewhere. It's those multiple years that become tough to chew.

[kcmets]

Just sign Pete. Do it tonight. Hope to wake to news that it happened.

[whippoorwill]

I wish :(

[Fman99]

He's 30 and this is his last chance at a truly big pay day, unless he opts for a one year deal somewhere where he attempts to have a bounce back. I don't know that he gets more than six years from anyone truth be told.

[ashie62]

Pete likely has two, maybe three years production left as we know him

He will likely not find the longer term deal he is seeking and would likely sign something acceptable to himself and the Mets

I'm happy to have him back. Pete could turn out to be the "value" contract of the off season

Juan Soto is on his fourth organization at age 26 which makes me wonder about him at least a little

Without Pete's postseason homer 2024 lose much of t's touchy feely goodness, at least mine anyway

I'd sign him off that. He also bleeds blue similarly to a guy who is having his number retired this summer

Make it so

[Benjamin Grimm]

Well, Soto was traded by the Nationals and the Padres because neither team thought they'd be able to sign him to a long-term contract, and they wanted to get something more than a draft pick in return.

I think Pete will be back because he's probably worth more to the Mets than to anyone else, and the Mets can also afford more than anyone else. I think he'll be a productive player for at least another five years although his best days are likely behind him.

[metsmarathon]

i think pete can be as productive as ever if he's not being relied on as THE MAN. i think he tries to do too much too often and ends up making bad swing decisions as a result. with soto on board as THE MAN, pete can just relax and be pete, and should play with more freedom, resulting in better performance.

[Centerfield]

Pete's off year doesn't seem quite as bad if you look at OPS+

2019: 147
2020: 122
2021: 133
2022: 146
2023: 123
2024: 123
Basically you can count on him to be in the 120s during his down years, 140s during his good years.

By comparison, Bregman:

2022: 134
2023: 122
2024: 118
A case can be made that Bregman is declining worse than Pete.

And for good measure, Christian Walker

2022: 126
2023: 120
2024: 116

Walker and Bregman give you better defense, but neither give you as much offense as Pete.

[Centerfield]

i think pete can be as productive as ever if he's not being relied on as THE MAN. i think he tries to do too much too often and ends up making bad swing decisions as a result. with soto on board as THE MAN, pete can just relax and be pete, and should play with more freedom, resulting in better performance.

And somewhat related to this, I also wonder if his performance would not be improved with the occasional off day. Or at least DH for the day.

[kcmets]

I had 12/20 in the imaginary pool in my head for a Pete-
signing... less than twelve hours left to go...

[whippoorwill]

Come on Pete! 🐻‍❄️

[kcmets]

Under six hours... tick, tick, tick...

[Edgy MD]

"Hello, Hammerjacks!! Were The Pete Alonso Conundrum!! Who's ready to ROCK?!?!?!"

[MFS62]

I had 12/20 in the imaginary pool in my head for a Pete- signing

Water on the brain?
Later

[kcmets]

I had 12/20 in the imaginary pool in my head for a Pete- signing

Water on the brain?
Later

I have zero idea what this reply means.

[MFS62]

I had 12/20 in the imaginary pool in my head for a Pete- signing

Water on the brain?
Later

I have zero idea what this reply means.

Swimming pool.
Later

[MFS62]

One Mets site (which I won't dignify by naming it) says that the Mets are interested in Paul Goldschmidt on a short term deal to replace Pete.
UGH!
Later

[metsmarathon]

No worries. Goldy’s a yankee now. Options are dwindling for Pete and the Mets alike.

[Centerfield]

Goldschmidt signed with the Yanks. Naylor traded to Arizona, and then Cleveland turns around and signs Carlos Santana.

Basically all 1B options are just about gone now. (Other than Pete)

[Frayed Knot]

Basically all 1B options are just about gone now. (Other than Pete)

At the same time, many of the non-NYM 1B options for Pete are being erased daily as they're filled by someone else.


And then there's the internal 1B option for the Mets: Mark Vientos
This option becomes less attractive and less likely, IMO, as it looks increasingly apparent that Pete isn't going to see an offer north of five years
that he (and we for that matter - read some of the early posts on this thread) thought, just a year or two ago, was likely heading his way.

[Benjamin Grimm]

This was from February 2023:

Jim Duquette, on Mets Hot Stove, suggested eight years, $240 million.

Wow.

[Edgy MD]

Apart from the trade market, I guess Josh Bell is the best of the rest.

[Gwreck]

Bregman to third/Vientos to first is still probably the best alternative if they don’t sign Pete. After that? It gets much less desirable.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Pete's lucky to even be a free agent right now. Replay the 2019 season under normal circumstances and 1,000 out of 1,000 times, Alonso's debut is held back for the requisite amount of time so as to delay his free agency eligibility until next year. He'd otherwise be a year older entering free agency.