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. (The Post’s Jon Heyman added, after the Mets signed outfielder Jesse Winker on Thursday, that Mets are looking more seriously at non-Alonso options.)
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.”
Blue Jays also in on Alonso
It’s worth noting that The Athletic reports other teams are still involved in the Alonso bidding, including the Blue Jays. Should Toronto land Alonso, the expectation is that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would remain in place.
Earlier this week, CBS Sports noted that the Blue Jays, coming off a miserable season, find themselves at a crossroads and could use some clarity on their short- and long-term direction:
The other option entails focusing on their short-term competitiveness, no matter the long-term consequences, by upgrading the roster around Guerrero and Bichette. Mind you, if the Blue Jays were going to take that kind of aggressive stance to the offseason, they probably would’ve already done it by ensuring they landed some of their previous targets. While Sasaki’s youth makes him the rare free agent who is a sensible target no matter which way the Blue Jays end up going, a failure to woo him may leave the Blue Jays without another opportunity this offseason to add an impact talent to their roster. (“May” because there are still a few quality free agents remaining, like Alex Bregman and Jack Flaherty, and it’s possible that the trade market could offer a few splashes between now and Opening Day.)
The Blue Jays are also one of the three finalists for Japanese ace Roki Sasaki. The Dodgers and Padres are also believed to be in the running.
