With less than a month to go until pitchers and catchers report for duty, Major League Baseball’s offseason is beginning to wind down. That leaves teams with a precious few weeks left to apply the finishing touches to their rosters. Below, CBS Sports has compiled all of Thursday’s most notable news, rumors, and moves in one convenient landing spot.
Mets set deadline on Alonso
The Mets and longtime first baseman Pete Alonso have continued to negotiate on a potential reunion, with the sides “making progress on at least the structure of a proposed deal that’s expected to be for three years and include at least one opt out,” according to the New York Post.
Alas, it doesn’t appear that a deal is done — or that it’s necessarily guaranteed to happen at all.
Rather, the Post adds that the two sides still had a gap between them financially, and that the Mets have informed Alonso that they’ll need him to make a decision soon — that way they can pivot to different options if needed.
Our own Mike Axisa recently dug into whether a short-term deal like the aforementioned offer would make sense for either Alonso or the Mets (or another team).
Alonso, 30, has spent his entire career to date with the Mets. Across six seasons, he’s batted .249/.339/.514 (134 OPS+) with 226 home runs. His contributions have been worth an estimated 19.8 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference. Alonso is a four-time All-Star honoree and a two-time Home Run Derby champion.
CBS Sports ranked Alonso as the 11th-best free agent available entering the winter. At the time, we noted he could be in for a chilly reception because “he’s also a righty-hitting first baseman nearing his 30th birthday. Teams have shown they’ll make exceptions for generational talents, an Albert Pujols or a Miguel Cabrera, but Alonso falls short of that measuring stick.”