The Mets aren’t making known their plans for Pete Alonso, or any plans beyond Alonso should he go elsewhere in free agency. But if their Plan B was to try for Josh Naylor, that option is no longer possible.
The Seattle Mariners are reportedly close to a deal with Naylor that would bring their first baseman back for the next five years. The contract is not official yet and the financial figures are not available, but early estimates have it valued around $100 million.
At 28, the contract makes sense given his age and production. Naylor posted a 128 wRC+, hitting 20 home runs and stealing 30 bases. It also made him the next-best option for the Mets to replace Alonso.
Naylor was never going to end up in New York. The Mariners made it clear from the start that re-signing their star first baseman was a priority this winter, and they managed to do a deal quick enough that other teams weren’t even able to get involved.
Naylor’s contract shouldn’t affect the market for Alonso a whole lot, though it could give us a better idea of a starting point. Despite being two years older, Alonso is expected to be paid more, and could garner a contract with one or two more years of term. The same goes for Cody Bellinger, who is technically the next-best free agent first baseman on the market, but primarily plays as a center fielder and is expected to sign as a center fielder.
Could this spark some market movement? Maybe, but the Mets aren’t going to act quickly when it comes to Alonso. As David Stearns said last week at MLB general manager meetings, he would like to get a read of the market to see if it matches up with how the Mets value the Polar Bear. It’s still too early to read anything.
Yes, mid-November is still early in the offseason. Mets fans eager to move on from the 2025 season are going to have to be patient and find another sport to watch, or even a hobby, because the market just doesn’t move quickly around this time of year. Not for nothing, the baseball industry does deserve downtime in the offseason.
The biggest question when it comes to the Mets and Alonso is, how will they replace his production in the lineup? We now know he’s amenable to playing as a DH, so the concerns about his defense are minimal. Plus, Stearns, the Mets president of baseball operations, said he believes Alonso can improve his defense. The internal option to replace Alonso at first base is Mark Vientos, and the Mets already said he’s a bat-first player, and he still may not be able to match Alonso’s production, even with a full season of play at one position.
Alonso can regularly be counted for 120-140 wRC+ per year. Maybe free agent slugger Kyle Schwarber, but the Philadelphia Phillies are expected to retain their free agent DH.
As for the rumors about Alonso as start the week, the Boston Red Sox, once believed to be the leading contenders for his services, seem to have cooled on him, at least depending on who you ask. Things seem to change daily around this time of year, though the Red Sox have been consistently linked to Alonso.
Naylor’s deal doesn’t really change anything for Alonso, but Stearns and owner Steve Cohen might want to watch the fan response to the deal. The Mariners seem to have added some extra goodwill with this move, capitalizing on the positivity of a playoff run that saw them nearly reach the World Series.
