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Shortly after it was learned earlier this week that the Toronto Blue Jays had agreed to a five-year deal worth at least $92.5M with outfielder Anthony Santander, TSN’s Scott Mitchell reported that free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso was “still in play” for the Blue Jays even though it’s believed they want to sign first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to an extension.
During a Tuesday appearance on the SNY “Mets Hot Stove” program, MLB Network analyst Jim Duquette indicated that the Blue Jays are no longer a realistic option for Alonso unless he decides he doesn’t 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 in on the offensive side, but it doesn’t seem like they’re going to be in for Pete Alonso. Another team that may have had interest in Pete is off the board.”
Duquette seemingly has had inside information regarding the Alonso saga throughout the offseason, and he strongly suggested on Tuesday that there is no so-called “mystery team” competing with the Mets for the 30-year-old’s services. Also on Tuesday evening, SNY manager of editorial production Danny Abriano expressed doubts that either the San Francisco Giants or Los Angeles Angels will lure the “Polar Bear” away from Queens.
Earlier in the day, Mets insider Anthony DiComo of the MLB website wrote that “it appears clear that the Mets won’t go much beyond three years and, say, $70M” to bring Alonso back. Abriano noted that the Mets are “refusing to offer more because they’re done bidding against themselves and believe their offer is fair.”
Some said last week that the Mets’ re-signing of outfielder and designated hitter Jesse Winker showed the club was ready to move on from Alonso. However, The Athletic’s Will Sammon said at the time that the Mets had only begun “considering a pivot away from re-signing” the fan-favorite slugger who could still serve as lineup protection for All-Star outfielder Juan Soto.
“The aforementioned Alonso — despite the Mets’ current position regarding negotiations — remains without a clear market as New York remains without a big bat to help protect Soto in their lineup. A reunion still makes tons of sense,” Abriano added on Tuesday.
Assuming Duquette is right, Alonso’s camp may want to call Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns to make sure the previously mentioned deal is still on the table.
