Mets Could Turn Attention Toward All-Star Outfielder After Pete Alonso Pursuit Sours

It appears that superstar slugger Pete Alonso's time with the New York Mets may have come to an end.
The biggest news of the baseball world on January 16 was that the Mets seem to have pivoted away from pursuing Alonso after the two sides were unable to come to a deal after the most recent round of negotiations.
According to Joel Sherman of The New York Post, the Mets offered Alonso a three-year deal in the $68 million to $70 million range that included opt-outs. He also noted that New York considered this would be their "last-ditch effort" to retain Alonso.
Alonso's camp rejected the offer. So the Mets now seem to have turned their attention elsewhere.
And according to a January 16 article from Jon Heyman of the New York Post, they have their eyes on former Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander.
"The Mets like switch-hitting star Anthony Santander. But Santander’s only played occasionally at first base," Heyman wrote.
https://t.co/2uOjZeaYWh. Friday MLB notes: Alonso, Baty. Santander, McNeil, pen (yep it’s a Mets day)
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 17, 2025
This isn't the first time an MLB insider has linked the Mets to Santander. In a January 9 TV segment,MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported, “What has been described as a ‘stall’ in the Pete Alonso market could create an opening here for the Mets to get involved in the Anthony Santander sweepstakes."
How interested are the Mets in free agent Anthony Santander?@jonmorosi | #MLBNHotStove pic.twitter.com/fJkyWezdQo
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 9, 2025
While Santander doesn't have quite the same sustained power-hitting pedigree as the Polar Bear, his .235/.308/.506 line with 44 home runs and 102 RBI in 155 games for the Orioles (which earned him a Silver Slugger Award in 2024) shows that he would be an absolute force hitting behind Juan Soto in the middle of the Mets lineup.