7:28PM : Alonso and the Mets are said to be making progre s on at least the structure of a proposed deal thats expected to be for three years and include at least one opt out, according to . While the sides appear amenable to that short-term structure, Sherman and Heyman write, theres still a gap between offer and counteroffer, with specific figures not mentioned. 5:15PM : The Mets and have seemingly been in a staredown for quite a while and its still unclear who will blink first. from last week indicated that Alonsos camp had pitched a short-term deal with opt-outs to the Mets but Alonso remains unsigned. Reports from both and suggest a pivot point is coming where the Mets may move on to plans that dont involve Alonso having a place on the 2025 team. It has long seemed po sible that Alonsos free agency could go this way. Last winter, the Boras Four lingered in free agency well into the new year and eventually settled for contracts below expectations. , , and all signed deals that only were guaranteed for two or three years, though with each player having the chance to opt-out after each season. There were reasons to expect Alonso might follow them down this road. Alonso reportedly turned down an extension offer of seven years and $158MM back in the summer of 2023. He still had one arbitration season to go at that point, ultimately making $20.5MM in 2024, so he effectively turned down $137.5MM for six free agent years. There had been reports that Alonso was looking at the contracts of and at targets. Freeman signed for $162MM over six years, though with deferrals. Olson signed an eight-year, $168MM extension when he was still two years away from free agency. But Alonso isnt as well-rounded of a player as those two. While his power is elite, his plate discipline and defense are both below Freeman and Olson. Hes also coming off a couple of relative down years. He had a career batting line of .261/.349/.535 and a 137 wRC+ through the 2022 season but then hit .229/.324/.480 for a 122 wRC+ over the two most recent campaigns. Thats still strong production but it will naturally concern a club thinking about making a long-term investment. Alonso is still unsigned with pitchers and catchers set to report to spring training in le s than a month. There is apparent willingne s to pivot to a short-term deal but a deal still hasnt come together. There is still more time, as Bellingers agreement came together in late February last year, Chapmans in early March. However, todays reports both point to the Mets starting to consider other options. The Mets have had a front office shakeup since offering that extension to Alonso. Billy Eppler was the general manager at that time but David Stearns is now running the clubs baseball operations department. Stearns never really dedicated a lot of resources to first base, as shown in . A three-year, $16MM deal for was his biggest investment in the position for the Brewers. Milwaukee after he hit 41 home runs in 2016, rather Ryan Jeffers Jersey than pay him a projected $8.1MM salary. Stearns is working with more resources now that hes with the Mets but has continued to be measured in how he uses those resources, apart from the deal. Instead of signing top free agent starting pitchers, he has taken bounceback fliers on guys like and . He also signed , hoping to get starting pitcher value for reliever prices. The Mets do have some internal options for corner infield work. had a great season in 2024, mostly playing third base, but his defense didnt receive strong grades. Its been suggested that he could be moved over to first base, with the hot corner then being open for a competition between guys like , and . Theres some uncertainty in going down that road and there would be some sense in adding Alonso back into the mix, but it seems the Mets and Alonsos camp cant agree on a fair price. Teams will naturally be attracted to a short-term deal as it lowers the chances of them being saddled with a players decline years, but the player usually looks to get a higher average annual value as a compromise. Bellingers deal guaranteed him $80MM but in frontloaded fashion, allowing him to opt out after one year with $30MM in his pocket or after two years with $60MM in the bank. Alonso is perhaps looking for something similar, which the Mets may not be keen on. The Mets are set to be a third-time payor of the competitive balance tax and projects their CBT number at $276MM next year. Signing Alonso to something in the range of $25-30MM annually would push that close to the fourth and final tier of the tax, which is $301MM this year. The Mets would pay a 95% tax on spending from tier three to tier four, then a 110% tax for spending over the top line. As such, even employing Alonso for one year and then having him opt out would cost them something like $60MM. If he has a disappointing season and doesnt opt out, as happened with Bellinger, they would be stuck with the deal for another year or two. The Mets also stand to receive draft pick compensation if Alonso signs elsewhere. As a tax payor, their bonus pick wouldnt be until after the fourth round. Thats not ma sively important in baseball terms but its not nothing and it would go away if they re-sign Alonso. Its a tricky calculation for the Mets to make with a franchise favorite, but it seems they are willing to play hard ball and move on to other options soon. Martino does mention that the Mets checked in with the Blue Jays about but also downplays the talks significantly, characterizing the fit as fantasy baseball. That aligns with public comments from Torontos general manager Ro s Atkins, who has often downplayed the likelihood of the Jays trading Guerrero or . Martino mentions a reunion with or signing as other po sible pivots, though he adds that the latter is le s likely to come to fruition. For Alonso, if hes not destined to go back to Queens, he will have to do his own pivot. recently looked at some of the clubs that could potentially sign him to a short-term deal, with the Giants, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Angels, Athletics and Tigers some of the options. Ryan Jensen Jersey