Mets predicted to sign star free agent to $150 million deal

Will the New York Mets be able to sign a star free agent to a massive deal?

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The New York Mets have entered the offseason and will be tasked with making some hard decisions regarding their roster in the coming months.

After their collapse in the second half of the year, the pressure is on for the front office to make some improvements and help make everyone forget about the 2025 campaign quickly. While a good chunk of the core of the team is coming back, they will have two key players as free agents that they will have to make decisions on.

Furthermore, while retaining talent is going to be important, they also need to add some talent, whether that be in a trade or through free agency. Steve Cohen isn’t shy about spending to put the best product on the field, and this could be an expensive offseason for him to help get the Mets to where they need to be.

Improving the starting rotation is going to be arguably the most critical area to address this winter, but New York must also be mindful about keeping their stellar offense intact. Pete Alonso, one of the key components of the lineup, will be hitting free agency once again and should have more potential suitors this time around.

New York predicted to keep Pete Alonso

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Although more teams should be interested in Alonso, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the Mets being the ideal landing spot for the star slugger this winter and predicted that he would sign a six-year, $150 million deal.

"This partnership has been going for seven years, and there's no good reason for it to stop now," Rymer wrote. "The Mets still need Alonso's right-handed power at first base, and the team can add roughly $100 million in average salary and still not trigger the 2026 luxury tax."

There are going to be concerns about Alonso's defense at first base and his age, but there is no denying that he is one of the best home run hitters and run producers in baseball. Last season was proof of that, as he hit 38 homers, drove in 126 runs (second most in MLB), and recorded a career-best .272 batting average. This strong season has made him one of the top sluggers available on the market.

Even though it seems like Alonso would like to retire as a Met, the interest level of the team signing him to a long-term deal has been questioned in recent years. This was shown last winter with lengthy contract negotiations that even frustrated Cohen.

Read More: MLB insider gauges Mets' interest in Pete Alonso

Early rumblings were that Alonso would be seeking a seven-year deal this winter. That seems a bit unlikely, as a five or six-year deal seems like the more probable landing spot. This contract prediction for Alonso is undoubtedly a fair one for both sides.

While the Mets would likely look to transition him to designated hitter at some point in the contract, as long as the power numbers are there, Alonso is very valuable to the team.