Pete Alonso‘s winter market has been stormy and his destination is still undefined, after he was in the search for a lucrative and long-term contract, but has failed to finalize negotiations with any of the teams that have been interested in signing him.
What weighs most heavily on Alonso at present is his rejection of a seven-year, $158 million extension offer made by the Mets in 2023. He has now failed to secure a proposal that comes close to his expectations and Sportskeeda highlighted the opinion of former Boston Red Sox player Mike Lowell, who believes that one obstacle is the contract that Bryce Harper signed in 2019 with the Philadelphia Phillies for 12 years for $330,000.
“I think that’s the influence that clubs will use against Pete Alonso and his agent because the numbers speak for themselves. It’s hard to justify, ‘hey, I’m going to give you more than Bryce Harper, who is the elite free agent at the time and much younger when he came to the free agent market.’ So it’s going to be interesting,” Lowell said during his appearance on MLB Tonight.
Pete Alonso could be a better fit on other teams
The former Puerto Rican third baseman added that he had heard from the Reds and wondered what Pete Alonso could achieve in Cincinnati and considered that he could hit between 45 and 50 home runs.
“There are teams that I think he fits much better with and brings more value to. I just don’t think you can go to the table and say, well, we want six years for $150 million, no matter who we’re talking to. It varies from team to team,” Lowell concluded.
Pete Alonso is in a hurry to get out of free agency to have a good preparation for the 2025 season. Negotiations are still open with the Mets, but the first baseman will have to lower his demands or accept a short-term contract.
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