The Mets aren’t making recognized their plans for Pete Alonso, or any plans past Alonso ought to he go elsewhere in free company. But when their Plan B was to attempt for Josh Naylor, that choice is not attainable.
The Seattle Mariners are reportedly near a take care of Naylor that might convey their first baseman again for the subsequent 5 years. The contract is just not official but and the monetary figures will not be obtainable, however early estimates have it valued round $100 million.
At 28, the contract is sensible given his age and manufacturing. Naylor posted a 128 wRC+, hitting 20 residence runs and stealing 30 bases. It additionally made him the next-best choice for the Mets to exchange Alonso.
Naylor was by no means going to finish up in New York. The Mariners made it clear from the beginning that re-signing their star first baseman was a precedence this winter, they usually managed to do a deal fast sufficient that different groups weren’t even in a position to get entangled.
Naylor’s contract shouldn’t have an effect on the marketplace for Alonso a complete lot, although it might give us a greater thought of a place to begin. Regardless of being two years older, Alonso is predicted to be paid extra, and will garner a contract with one or two extra years of time period. The identical goes for Cody Bellinger, who’s technically the next-best free agent first baseman available on the market, however primarily performs as a middle fielder and is predicted to signal as a middle fielder.
May this spark some market motion? Possibly, however the Mets aren’t going to behave shortly in the case of Alonso. As David Stearns stated final week at MLB normal supervisor conferences, he wish to get a learn of the market to see if it matches up with how the Mets worth the Polar Bear. It’s nonetheless too early to learn something.
Sure, mid-November remains to be early within the offseason. Mets followers keen to maneuver on from the 2025 season are going to need to be affected person and discover one other sport to observe, or perhaps a passion, as a result of the market simply doesn’t transfer shortly round this time of yr. Not for nothing, the baseball business does deserve downtime within the offseason.
The most important query in the case of the Mets and Alonso is, how will they change his manufacturing within the lineup? We now know he’s amenable to taking part in as a DH, so the considerations about his protection are minimal. Plus, Stearns, the Mets president of baseball operations, stated he believes Alonso can enhance his protection. The interior choice to exchange Alonso at first base is Mark Vientos, and the Mets already stated he’s a bat-first participant, and he nonetheless might not be capable of match Alonso’s manufacturing, even with a full season of play at one place.
Alonso can commonly be counted for 120-140 wRC+ per yr. Possibly free agent slugger Kyle Schwarber, however the Philadelphia Phillies are anticipated to retain their free agent DH.
As for the rumors about Alonso as begin the week, the Boston Pink Sox, as soon as believed to be the main contenders for his providers, appear to have cooled on him, no less than relying on who you ask. Issues appear to alter each day round this time of yr, although the Pink Sox have been persistently linked to Alonso.
Naylor’s deal doesn’t actually change something for Alonso, however Stearns and proprietor Steve Cohen would possibly wish to watch the fan response to the deal. The Mariners appear to have added some additional goodwill with this transfer, capitalizing on the positivity of a playoff run that noticed them almost attain the World Sequence.
