Breaking: Giants Agree $291 Million Deal To Sign 3-Time All-Star Slugger
First baseman Pete Alonso would prefer to stay in Queens for the long term, according to statements made in public by the New York Mets. However, negotiations for a contract extension have not materialized this offseason, and the three-time All-Star slugger will be eligible for free agency after 2024. Are the San Francisco Giants a likely destination for a team?
Dayn Perry of CBS Sports believes that to be possible. Perry believes Alonso will remain in New York for the entirety of 2024 when talking about potential future performances for him. The main reason for this is because he believes the Mets will be competitive enough to warrant holding onto him thanks to MLB’s extended playoffs.
However, Perry predicts that Alonso will relocate across the nation once the offseason begins. He stated, “I don’t see [David] Stearns committing to a first baseman well into his 30s, even a well-known home run artist like Alonso.” That may be particularly true considering Alonso’s poor batting averages and problems with strikeouts, which don’t seem good for his aging curve. I’ll say instead that he signs a free-agent contract with the Giants during the upcoming summer.
In 2024, Alonso’s salary with the Mets is set at $20.5 million.The slugger has an annual market value of $32.9 million, according to Spotrac. For first baseman, they are estimating a $291 million, nine-year contract.
Alonso Would Bring Lots of Power to San Francisco
One of the baseball stadiums that is most suited for pitchers is Oracle Park, home of the Giants.Over the last three seasons, Oracle has been the fourth-hardest location to hit a home run, according to Statcast’s ballpark characteristics. For the previous 20 years, there has also been a general power outage for the franchise.
Outfielder Barry Bonds was the last Giants player to record a 30-home run season, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. In 2004 he hit 45 for San Francisco. In 2024, there’s hope that freshly signed slugger Jorge Soler will end that drought. For the Kansas City Royals in 2019 and the Miami Marlins in 2023, he slugged 48 home runs.
But he will have an opportunity to end that run if Alonso joins with the Giants and he doesn’t. Since 2019, he has hit the most home runs in baseball with 192. Alonso’s résumé already includes three seasons with 40 or more hits. This includes the 53 home runs he slugged in his debut season for New York as an MLB rookie.
In 14 games against the Giants in San Francisco, Alonso has made appearances. Six of his 12 hits in 62 plate appearances have come off the yard.
Do the Mets Still Have an Upper Hand for Their Homegrown Slugger?
Even though Alonso and the Mets declined to sign a long-term contract, it doesn’t imply that they won’t be able to work things out once he hits free agency. It’s a strategy that the Yankees have previously employed to re-sign outfielder Brandon Nimmo and closer Edwin Diaz.
Also emphatic about his slugger remaining in Queens for the foreseeable future is team owner Steve Cohen. He stated on February 23 on the team’s official podcast, “He’s an important part of our team today and hopefully in the future.” “I’m not tone deaf, but we are aware of how passionate his admirers are about him. I now get why Pete is so beloved by his supporters.
“I hope he hits fifty-five home runs and gives me a lot of trouble in free agency. It seems like a fantastic result to me.
Alonso has frequently declared his admiration for New York and the Mets.On February 17, he stated that he intended to work for the company for the rest of his career. When the slugger becomes available for trade, it appears that the Mets will hold the advantage. Nevertheless, when a player becomes a free agency, anything can happen.
