Mets Moving on From Franchise Icon: Report
Queens might be big enough for more than 2 million residents, but its local baseball team is apparently unable to carry two star sluggers in its 2025 lineup.
According to Andy Martino of SNY, the New York Mets have pivoted to their “Plan B” and expect free agent first baseman Pete Alonso to sign elsewhere after spending the first six years of his career in a Mets uniform.
The Mets have pivoted to plan B, post-Alonso. They now consider it the most likely outcome that Alonso will sign elsewhere. They add Winker and will add a reliever, possibly a top one.
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) January 16, 2025
The two sides are still far apart in negotiations, according to multiple reports this week, as Alonso is seeking more money than the Mets are willing to offer — even on a short-term contract.
Harry How/Getty Images
Earlier Thursday, Martino was among those to report the Mets had reached agreement with Jesse Winker, a left-handed hitting outfielder whom the Mets acquired in a midseason trade last year. Winker played an important role for the Mets in the postseason as well.
In December, the Mets finalized a record 15-year, $765 million contract with Juan Soto, giving them the most coveted middle-of-the-order bat on the free agent market. Alonso, a right-handed hitter, smashed 34 home runs last season and has hit 226 since his 2019 Rookie of the Year campaign.
Now, however, it appears the Mets are ready to move on with Soto and Winker, and solve their first-base hole otherwise.
More to come on this story from Newsweek Sports.
