Mets predicted to settle for $130 million slugger after losing Juan Soto to Yankees

On By Littum

The New York Mets, along with four other Major League Baseball teams, are holding their breath all weekend.

That’s because Juan Soto, the supremely gifted outfielder who guided the New York Yankees to the 2024 World Series, is now a free agent. It seems more and more likely every day that Soto will sign for $700 million plus, and the Mets might be the most likely team to give him that.

Then again, the Yankees are the Yankees, and Soto seemed genuinely happy there. In addition, the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers have all met with the 26-year-old star. The Mets must be prepared for the distinct possibility Soto goes elsewhere.

Fortunately, they have a fairly well-defined backup plan.

David Lennon of Newsday recently predicted free agent destinations for more stars, and he predicted a Soto-Yankees reunion. But he also predicted that first baseman Pete Alonso would re-sign with the Mets, returning the four-time All-Star to his only major league home in Queens.

“After a year that fell short of his lofty standards of power, Alonso appeared to be falling out of Flushing until he restored his hero status with a memorable October,” Lennon said.

“That was probably enough to convince owner Steve Cohen to keep the homegrown polar bear at Citi Field for a while longer, if not the rest of his career.”

Now 30 years old, Alonso has been one of baseball’s most prolific power hitters for the past six years. He has 226 career home runs, just 26 shy of Daryl Strawberry’s Mets franchise record. If he keeps going, he’ll break that record within a year, assuming he stays healthy.

Alonso is expected to be given a five-year, $130 million contract by Tim Britton of The Athletic. It might not be the deal he was gunning for before the year, but it’s still life-changing money, and it could keep him around for the Mets’ hopeful pursuit of a championship.

More MLB: Mets predicted to cut ties with six-time All-Star after disappointing $12M tenure