Shortly after it was revealed earlier this week that the Toronto Blue Jays had agreed to a five-year contract worth at least $92.5 million with outfielder Anthony Santander, TSN’s Scott Mitchell reported that free agent first baseman Pete Alonso “was still in play” for the Blue Jays despite the fact that they are believed to want to sign first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
During an appearance on SNY’s “Mets Hot Stove” show, MLB Network analyst Jim Duquette indicated that the Blue Jays are no longer a realistic option for Alonso unless he decides he does not want to return to the New York Mets this winter.
“That’s out of the equation, I think, with Toronto,” Duquette said while speaking about Alonso, as shared by Jon Vankin of Newsweek. “They say they’re going to be interested on the offensive side, but it doesn’t look like they’re going to be interested in Pete Alonso. Another team that might have had interest in Pete is no longer on the table.”
Mets will not bid for Alonso
Duquette has apparently had inside information about Alonso’s saga during the offseason, and on Tuesday strongly suggested that there is no “mystery team” competing with the Mets for the 30-year-old’s services. Also on Tuesday night, SNY’s editorial production manager Danny Abriano expressed doubts that the San Francisco Giants or the Los Angeles Angels will lure the “Polar Bear” away from Queens.
Earlier in the day, Anthony DiComo, a Mets expert on the MLB website, wrote that “it seems clear that the Mets will not go much beyond three years and, say, $70 million” to bring back Alonso. Abriano noted that the Mets “refuse to offer more because they are no longer bidding against themselves and believe their offer is fair.”
Some said last week that the renewal of outfielder and designated hitter Jesse Winker‘s contract by the Mets showed that the club was ready to move on without Alonso. However, The Athletic’s Will Sammon said at the time that the Mets had only just begun to “consider a change of course not to re-sign” the fan-favorite slugger, who could still serve as protection in the lineup for All-Star outfielder Juan Soto.
“Alonso, despite the Mets’ current position regarding negotiations, still has no clear market, as New York is still without a big hitter to help protect Soto in its lineup. A meeting still makes a lot of sense,” Abriano added Tuesday.
Assuming Duquette is correct, Alonso’s group might want to call Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns to make sure the aforementioned deal is still on the table.
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