The New York Mets have parted ways with former first baseman Pete Alonso, and according to multiple reports that are emerging in the wake of the winter meetings, they never even made an offer. Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million offer with the Baltimore Orioles, shocking many Mets fans who assumed there had at least been some number thrown back and forth.
But the truth is that both sides were basically done with each other as soon as the Mets’ disappointing season ended. Alonso declared his intention to become a free agent within minutes after New York’s final loss to the Miami Marlins, and the Mets were never really comfortable with the length of Alonso’s contract demands or the baseline AAV of $30 million that was a key figure.
The Mets are going in a new direction that emphasizes three basic points: (1) better defense and run prevention (2) shorter contracts that give the team more flexibility (3) better clubhouse chemistry after reports of arguments, rifts and personality issues.
Alonso’s defense was an issue. He’s a power hitter, pure and simple, and while he does excell at scooping low throws, the rest of his defensive metrics weren’t good. The Mets want more reliability on the right side of the infield, which new second baseman Marcus Semien will provide, but Alonso’s lack of range was also a problem.
The downside of losing Alonso, of course, is that his formidable power numbers go away. Alonso provided protection for outfielder Juan Soto in the lineup, and as many have pointed out, Soto will probably walk at least 150 teams next year unless the Mets can fill the lineup hole behind him.
There’s also an outfield hole with Brandon Nimmo gone via trade, and Nimmo, too, supplied significant power. The only safe assumption at this point is that these holes will be filled primarily via trades, as the winter meetings are typically a showcase for flashy free agent signings.
The Mets will look very different next year, and there’s also a pitching staff makeover coming. Part of the emphasis on defense is about the arrival of young starters Nolan McLean, Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong, and there are still trades involving veteran starters Kodai Senga and David Peterson that will likely be consummated in the coming weeks.
Presumably some of the groundwork for those deals was done this week, and there are probably more shocking moves coming in this roster makeover.