Will the Mets Lock Down Pete Alonso

[@EngageGrow]

Should the Mets do whatever it takes to keep Alonso, or is it time to explore new options? Let’s hear your take!

[@johnstrawb3521]

@EngageGrow Mark Vientos has already played half a year at 1B in pro ball, and did so competently. . What you're both missing is that this isn't a question of signing Pete Alonso to play 1B. It's in fact a question of *_how much of an upgrade do you get by signing Alonso to play 1B _* when by moving Vientos to 1B you gain half a win on his defense, and when every projection system has the Mauricio-Baty-Acuna triplet putting up 1.5 to 2.5 fWAR at 3B. With Alonso projected at a generous 2.5fWAR in 2025 after a 2.1 fWAR season in 2024, the Mets by signing Alonso would be paying a $25m AAV for a 0 to 1 win upgrade in 2025, and less of an upgrade every year thereafter as Alonso's decline continues. As a Mets fan I'm DELIGHTED they're not setting $75m-plus on fire. Put another way, would you rather have (a) or (b), assuming Alonso would take say 2/60m from the Mets? (a) Alonso 1B + Vientos 3B ...or... (b) Vientos 1B + Mauricio-Baty-Acuna 3B + Flaherty SP + David Robertson RP ? The 30m AAV is roughly the same in both cases. No player opt-out for Alonso bc he's exactly the wrong kind of player to whom teams give opt outs. Keep in mind, too, that if you sign Alonso you cement the worst corner IF defense in MLB in place for as many years as his deal lasts. Furthermore, by moving Vientos to 1B you pick up 5 runs on defense at 1B, and at 3B you replaced one of the worst 3Bman in MLB with a glove that is at least average by every advanced stat, picking up another 10 runs. That sums to 15 runs or 1.5 wins by defense alone. Even a $330m payroll won't allow you to sign a FA regular at every position, particularly not on a team like the Mets where an average farm system hasn't yet begun regularly producing significant contributors year in and year out. If they're not going to use young players who rate to produce 2 wins at positions of need, they're never going to be perennial contenders. They'll just stay perpetually on the free agent treadmill getting older and older, more and more expensive just like it did on the George Steinbrenner Yankees when the Yankees missed the postseason 13 years running. *TL;DR* Even if neither Mauricio or Baty improves on their modest previous MLB work, Baty in 2024 and Mauricio in 2023, their average and above average gloves, respectively, along with 80-85 OPS+ bats project to be worth close to Alonso's value in 2025, but at $1m apiece in salary they leave $25 to 30 million for other, better moves by the Mets.

[@EngageGrow]

@@johnstrawb3521 You officially won the award for the most in depth comment of the year! haha. Well said!