The Mets and Pete Alonso have said that they need to work it out, but there is said to be a significant gap in negotiations at this point.
That doesn't mean he's gone, as the Mets have closed the gap by a wide margin (see below on Juan Soto), but it certainly doesn't mean he's on the verge of an immediate contract.
The Mets are considering other options at first base (and to some extent third base), and one alternative could be moving Mark Vientos to 1B and giving Brett Batty/Ronnie Mauricio/Kids a chance at 3B. I don't know.
What works in Alonso's favor is that he is a Mets fan favorite.
Overall, the situation is against him. He's had a down year and isn't so desperate for power this year. (We've been arguing that Soto's batting lineup should be better protected, but it's possible that the only ones who can truly protect Soto are Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani.)
The Yankees already had great right-handed sluggers such as Judge and Giancarlo Stanton on long-term contracts, so acquiring Alonso was never realistic.
Perhaps one of the reasons this possibility has garnered more attention is Hal Steinbrenner's relationship with Alonso. In addition to supporting the Tunnel to Towers charity, both are Gators (Steinbrenner earned an MBA from Florida) and Tampa residents.
But in the end, Steinbrenner, as always, deferred the decision to general manager Brian Cashman. Yankees analysts preferred spending on Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt.
Bellinger initially chose to return to the Cubs, but was almost thrilled to end up becoming a Yankee once it became clear that the Cubs were determined to trade Bellinger.
The Yankees love Alex Bregman, but there are questions about whether Yankee Stadium is right for him. Maybe they want DJ LeMahieu to get healthy and fill in at 3B.
Gleyber Torres turned down the Nats because he didn't want to play 3B.
Andrew Chafin ranks high on the Yankees' list of left-handed pen targets. Tim Hill also stars.
It's a good thing the Mets and Sean Manaea agree to a three-game, $75 million deal. He had rejected $67 million from the A's sent to his friend Luis Severino.
Manaea's market was otherwise limited by a qualifying offer/draft selection valued at between $5 million and $20 million depending on the team.
Nick Pivetta, a tremendous talent, has ties to the Reds and Jays, but his qualifying offer could complicate things.
Charlie Morton is the front-line starter returning to the right side at age 41.
Besides running back Juan Soto, the Tigers have money to spend and are said to need to make at least one big move. (Amazingly, their postseason roster cost only $18 million.)
The five-team bid for Soto began at between $440 million and $500 million, which Soto rejected from the Nats in 2022.
The Mets also fell behind one team's first-round bid in their first second-round bid.
So it was quite a comeback to pull it off!
