As the Pete Alonso free agency reportedly heats up, Jim Duquette reports that Scott Boras and Alonso have come to the Mets with a three-year deal with opt outs, one that is exclusive to New York.
It seems like a relinquishing of sorts for Alonso, who turned down a much bigger contract extension offer from the Mets before his contract season, and was reportedly seeking a six-year deal earlier in the offseason. For Sal Licata, if he were Alonso, it would be hard to come back to the Mets with a short-term deal, especially as he has seen other teammates like Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, and others get more financial security.
“Put yourself in his shoes,” Sal said. “I’d be ticked off too, to the point where I would say ‘Okay, you don’t want to pay me what I think I’m worth? I’m gonna go somewhere else - assuming all things are equal - and show you what I’m worth.’
“If Pete had that in him, he would say ‘Get me a one-year deal for the highest AAV, and let me do this again the right way. I’m gonna go prove myself and hit 50 bombs.’”
With that said, Sal does acknowledge that Alonso lost a lot of negotiating power after having arguably the worst season of his career when it was time to secure a payday.
“Pete had a chance to prove himself in a walk year...and he didn’t,” Sal said. “He wilted like a little flower until the postseason.
“This is part Pete’s fault for not producing the last couple years.”
Furthermore, while Sal would be tempted to spurn the Mets if he were Alonso, he doesn’t see the first baseman getting much more elsewhere, as it seems the interest in Alonso is minimal.
“But even if he does that, he’s not gonna get what he wants, because of the value,” Sal said. “This is a market thing.”