Wacky Mets thoughts from two prominent columnists
By now one would hope Pete Alonso has finally gotten the memo: The Mets never wanted him back. That’s why they never budged off their three-year offer in the $70 million range to him when he and his agent Scott Boras continued to push, first, for six and five-year deals and finally three years with an annual average value substantially more than the $23 million per Mets offer.
Source: Bill Madden, Daily News
This is just awful reporting, to say that the Mets never wanted Alonso back. The Mets wanted him back, they just weren’t going to pay thru the nose to get him. As a well-run franchise should, the Mets had contract terms in mind with which that they wanted Alonso back. They weren’t going to give him five or more years and they weren’t going to give him an AAV based on what he did three years ago.
It’s fine to have a different opinion on Alonso’s worth. Perhaps Madden thinks Alonso’s worth $30 million a year. But just because the club didn’t share that value is a million miles away from saying they didn’t want him back. No one else is rushing to give Alonso that type of deal. Shoot, we haven’t heard any offers from other teams to date.
If the Mets were to offer Alonso what Madden apparently wanted them to, they would have been bidding against themselves. And speaking of that, Scott Boras mouthpiece Jon Heyman made some comments on radio that were recorded in print:
On Friday, Jon Heyman of The New York Post reminded everyone of one factor that could change all of that.
“(Owner) Steve Cohen may be listening to the fans, seeing some of the criticism, and maybe he will jump in,” Heyman said on ESPN New York’s “The Michael Kay Show,”
snip
Alonso won’t get the contract he was looking for this offseason, even if Cohen steps in. But would the rich owner, who grew up a Mets fan, be willing to offer $30 million per year on a short-term contract with opt-outs?
“I would think that gets it done with the Mets,” Heyman told Kay.
Source: Manny Gomez, NJ.com
So, let me see if I’ve got this straight, if the Mets were to exceed their offer by 23.7%, Alonso and Boras might agree to it? Is that right? Oh, and they want opt-outs, too? Here’s why I would never make a good player agent. Or media hack. I can’t imagine telling someone - perhaps my only interested suitor - that their offer was over 20% inferior.
Hey, more power to both Alonso and Boras if they get that $30 million contract. No one should completely rule that possibility out. We never know what’s going to happen, in this or any situation. All we can do is look at all of the evidence available and make an informed guess based on the odds.
My take is that Alonso’s chance of getting that contract is in single digits and it’s darn near close to zero he’ll get it from the Mets. And that opinion is shaped by both Alonso’s production here recently and the fairly low level of interest from the other 29 clubs. But then, my place as a blogger isn’t dependent on carrying water for an agent.
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Hat tip to John from Albany and his terrific Mets News & Links site for pointing out these articles.
The funniest thing about this narrative is that if the Mets really didn't want him back, why didn't they pursue other free agent first basemen like Christian Walker or Paul Goldschmidt?
For my entire life of employment, as a worker, I have sided with labor. The history of humanity is riddled with exploitation of labor. MLB players operate in an alter universe. Guaranteed full contracts regardless of performance or even ability to get in the field. full free agency after 6 years of service in the bigs. The ability to let the market determine value. The notion that, in these conditions, that the Mets have somehow screwed or disrespected or embarrassed Pete, to me, is not rationale and bordering on preposterous. Pete’s value will be determined by the highest bidder in this market. He chose this route after turning down $153 million guaranteed.