First baseman Pete Alonso reached a meaningful milestone in New York Mets history on April 27. He hit his 200th career home run, becoming just the fourth Met to do so. The next question is whether the pending free agent will get a chance to break the franchise’s all-time home run record by signing a long-term contract.
And if that happens, which other top free agents could be joining him at Citi Field for the foreseeable future?
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal broke down Alonso’s upcoming free agency on the April 29 edition of the Foul Territory show. While discussing the slugger’s future, he also commented on who else president of baseball operations David Stearns could pursue this winter.
“There are so many layers to this. One, he’s [Alonso] represented by Scott Boras. Scott Boras also represents Juan Soto, who’s going to be a member of next year’s free-agent class, and Alex Bregman, who is going to be a member of next year’s free-agent class,” he said. “Now, the Mets might very well be interested in Soto in particular, and even Bregman, depending on where Brett Baty ends up this year.
“He looks like he’s going to be a pretty good player still, and maybe they’ll feel comfortable with him going forward at third base. Maybe they won’t.”
Watch the entire segment below. Rosenthal’s Alonso comments begin at the nine-minute mark.
Would the Mets Give up on Baty & Sign Bregman?
It’s been well established that New York would like to re-sign Alonso. Their rumored interest in acquiring Soto has also been reported multiple times. While the Mets and Bregman have been linked together in the past, would they give up on Baty and opt for a high-priced veteran?
That will depend on how the rest of 2024 goes. While his bat has cooled off, Baty has taken a step forward compared to his first 119 big-league games. During that span (431 plate appearances), he slashed .210/.272/.325 with 11 home runs, 39 RBI and 45 runs scored. Through his first 90 trips to the plate in 2024, Baty is hitting .256/.322/.317 with one home run, nine RBI and nine runs scored.
Ideally, Stearns and the Mets want Baty to be their everyday third baseman. According to Spotrac, the former top prospect is making $750,000 this season and won’t be eligible for arbitration until 2026. Meanwhile, Bregman will be entering his age-31 campaign in 2025. He also could be looking for a long-term deal that pushes $300 million.
How Much Would It Cost New York to Sign Both Alonso & Soto?
If the Mets are seriously interested in Alonso and Soto, could they try signing both? Rosenthal discussed that as a possibility, which backs up a February 18 report from SNY’s Andy Martino.
“I bet he goes for both,” one league executive who knows Mets owner Steve Cohen (but doesn’t work for the team) told Martino.
Signing Soto and Alonso wouldn’t be cheap. The Athletic’s Tim Britton projected Soto’s next contract at 14 years and $540 million. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman said it could take at least $200 million to re-sign Alonso.
While landing both sluggers would be huge for New York, it also won’t be that easy. Alonso and Soto are projected to be among baseball’s top free agents next winter. So, there will be plenty of competition for their services once November rolls around.
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