All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso entered MLB free agency seeking a $200-plus million contract that would make him one of the highest-paid MLB players in 2025. Nearly two months after hitting the open market, Alonso remains unsigned.
Alonso’s likeliest landing spots this winter were the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners. However, New York spent big on Juan Soto while the Yankees brought in Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt and Max Fried.
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- Pete Alonso stats (ESPN): .240/.329/.459, .788 OPS, 34 home runs, 88 RBI, 31 doubles
The Boston Red Sox took themselves out of the running for Alonso and the Mariners quickly realized the perennial All-Star slugger was out of their price range. Alonso’s options quickly dried up, weakening his market and significantly reducing how much he could earn in free agency. Now after a prolonged wait, there’s an update on where things stand with Alonso.
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MLB insider Robert Murray of Fansided reports that the holdup in contract negotiations between the Mets front office and agent Scott Boras right now is the number of years in Alonso’s next contract. New York is adamant about doing a short-term deal, but Alonso is seeking more years with a contract that would likely be the last big payday of his career.
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However, a significant gap in negotiations still remains between the two sides. While a resolution seems simple – offering a player opt-out clause in 2026 or 2027 – Alonso and the Mets don’t appear close to a resolution.
Murray still notes that the Mets are the “most likely” team to land Alonso, but the Mariners and San Francisco Giants are also involved. However, with Seattle dealing with financial limitations and the Giants’ ballpark not especially friendly to hitters, it stands to reason Alonso will ultimately rejoin the Mets lineup in 2025.
