With less than a month until pitchers and catchers report to work, Major League Baseball’s offseason is starting to wind down. This gives teams a few precious weeks to put the finishing touches on their squads. Below, CBS Sports has compiled all of Thursday’s most notable news, rumors and moves into one convenient landing spot.
Mets set deadline for Alonso
The Mets and longtime first baseman Pete Alonso continued to negotiate a possible reunion, with the sides “progressing at least on the structure of a proposed deal that is expected to last three years and include at least an opt-out ”, according to the New York Post.
Alas, it doesn’t appear that a deal is in place – or that it’s necessarily guaranteed to happen.
The Post instead adds that the two sides still had a financial gap between them and that the Mets informed Alonso that they will need him to make a decision soon — that way they can look to different options if necessary.
Our own Mike Axisa recently dug in whether a short-term deal like the aforementioned offer would make sense for Alonso or the Mets (or another team).
Alonso, 30, has spent his entire career with the Mets. Over six seasons, he hit .249/.339/.514 (134 OPS+) with 226 home runs. His contributions are worth about 19.8 wins above replacement, according to Baseball Reference. Alonso is a four-time All-Star winner and two-time Home Run Derby champion.
CBS Sports ranked Alonso as the 11th best free agent available for the winter. At the time, we noted that he might receive a cold reception because “he’s also a right-handed first baseman approaching his 30th birthday.” Teams have shown they will make exceptions for generational talents, an Albert Pujols or a Miguel Cabrera, but Alonso is not up to that measure.”