It was said as far back as this past spring that the New York Yankees could target first baseman Pete Alonso in free agency if New York Mets owner Steve Cohen convinced All-Star outfielder Juan Soto to make a big-money move to Queens.
For an article published on Thursday, SNY manager of editorial production Danny Abriano predicted Cohen won’t make an either/or choice this offseason.
“A perfect storm is brewing for the Mets,” Abriano explained, “who have tons of money coming off the books ahead of the 2025 season, are in strong shape payroll-wise for the next half-decade and seem primed to make a Soto pursuit the centerpiece of what is expected to be a very aggressive offseason. …It’s hard to see the sweepstakes coming down to anything but a Mets-versus-Yankees battle. And the Mets will come out on top.”
Numerous insiders have pointed out that Cohen has the resources to outbid Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner for Soto and then sign the lineup/pitching help the Mets need coming off their surprising run to the 2024 National League Championship Series. Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of the New York Post recently linked the previously mentioned Alonso with eight non-New York clubs.
Per the TSN website, Heyman also said on Wednesday that the Mets signing both Soto and Alonso “is not out of the question.” Abriano envisions a scenario where Cohen brings Alonso, who has thus far played only for the Mets since he made his MLB debut in 2019, home on a new deal.
“This is business for the Mets and Alonso,” Abriano explained, “but there’s also some emotion tied in. And unless Alonso’s market spirals out of control, the ‘Polar Bear’ returning to the Mets — perhaps on a deal worth around $125M for five years — makes the most sense.”
Alonso is one of the most popular Mets players among die-hard fans in recent memory, and the Baseball Almanac website shows he’s just 26 home runs away from tying the franchise record for career homers.
While some think Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns could try to convince Cohen to better “spread out his budget,” the owner realistically could have Stearns build around those superstars via value signings similar to those made by the executive last offseason.